Some experts are casting doubts about a highly publicized photo which has fueled speculation that aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan may have been captured by the Japanese after their plane went down.
Some experts are casting doubts about a highly publicized photo which has fueled speculation that aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan may have been captured by the Japanese after their plane went down.
The photo, which was found in the National Archives, appears to show people on a dock including a short-haired woman--possibly Earhart--with her back to the camera, notes CNN.
While this hypothesis is discussed in a forthcoming History channel feature called 'Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence,' MailOnline reports that two investigators have pointed out concerns about the evidence.
For one unnamed source, the timing is a problem, given that the envelope containing the batch of photos was reportedly identified as being taken after 1940; Earhart and Noonan vanished in 1937.
Meanwhile, Mike Campbell, another person familiar with the case, has said that the pair is “absolutely not in the photo and it's incredible that anyone could believe they are.”
He added that “nobody in the photo remotely resembles Earhart inasmuch as anyone's facial features can be determined at all.”
Despite the skepticism, NBC is reporting that former FBI official Shawn Henry “has studied the photo and feels confident it shows the famed pilot and her navigator.”
He told the network, “When you pull out, and when you see the analysis that's been done, I think it leaves no doubt to the viewers that that's Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.”
However, the Smithsonian’s Dorothy Cochrane remains more skeptical, telling CNN, “People take photos and interpret them, and they're free to do that. It has not persuaded me.”
For their part, the Japanese have reportedly said they have no record of Earhart’s captivity, but as the BBC notes, these archives are not always accurate.
