Remains found off Atlantic City identified 45 years later as missing Coast Guard veteran
Glen Napoleon Burbage disappeared after traveling to Atlantic City in March 1981. Advances in DNA technology helped investigators identify his remains decades later.
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Human remains found off the coast of Atlantic City in 1981 have been identified nearly 45 years later as those of a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, New Jersey State Police announced Thursday.
Glen Napoleon Burbage, a retired chief warrant officer from Charleston, South Carolina, traveled by air to Atlantic City in March 1981 and was never heard from again, state police said.
His remains were found approximately one mile offshore from Raleigh Avenue on May 22, 1981. Earlier DNA testing and a search of a national DNA database failed to identify him.
Investigators later turned to investigative genetic genealogy. Research conducted by Ramapo College pointed to Burbage as a possible match.
With help from South Carolina authorities, state police obtained a DNA sample from Burbage's family. The New Jersey State Police Central Laboratory compared the sample with DNA from the remains and confirmed his identity.
State police also credited Othram Inc. for its assistance in the identification.
How Burbage died remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about his disappearance or death is asked to email the State Police Missing Persons Unit at missingpinformation@njsp.gov. Anonymous tips are welcome.
