74 Years After Fatal Montauk Pelican Tragedy, a DNA Test Could Help Bring Closure - 27 East
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74 Years After Fatal Montauk Pelican Tragedy, a DNA Test Could Help Bring Closure

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Noreen Furness visited the Pelican memorial near the Montauk Lighthouse recently. Her brother, John Furness, died in the tragedy back in 1951. She is awaiting a verdict from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office on whether a skull fragment found in 1960 came from her brother. COURTESY MONTAUK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Noreen Furness visited the Pelican memorial near the Montauk Lighthouse recently. Her brother, John Furness, died in the tragedy back in 1951. She is awaiting a verdict from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office on whether a skull fragment found in 1960 came from her brother. COURTESY MONTAUK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

authorJack Motz on May 17, 2025
Noreen Furness had been reading “Dark Noon” by Tom Clavin — a book about the Pelican disaster in 1951 — when she saw the author mention that her brother’s skull... more

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