TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay area expert is hoping to answer one of the greatest mysteries of American history: What happened to aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart?
- Skull fragments could belong to Amelia Earhart, anthropologist says
- They were 1st found in 1940, initially dismissed by British doctor
- Scientists now waiting for the results of the DNA test
University of South Florida (USF) forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle has pieced together skull fragments that could belong to the famed pilot, who was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic and vanished along with her navigator Fred Noonan during an attempt to fly around the world in July 1937.
Bone fragments were first found on a central Pacific island back in 1940 that may have belonged to Earhart.
"They were dismissed by a British physician as not being female and therefore couldn't be hers. They were kind of lost in history for a while," Kimmerle said.
But the USF anthropologist says the doctor was wrong.
"It's sort of unfortunate that it got dismissed," Kimmerle said.
More than 70 years after the first discovery, National Geographic contacted Kimmerle to help locate the bones and skull.
Now, scientists are awaiting the results of DNA testing. The results could be back in the next few weeks.
"I hope it's her," Kimmerle said.
All of the research will be included in a documentary on Amelia Earhart's disappearance that will air Sunday, October 20.