Case file · Official inquiry
Disappearance of Michael Rockefeller
Michael Rockefeller, 23, son of New York's governor, vanished in November 1961 off the Asmat coast of Dutch New Guinea (now Papua, Indonesia) after his catamaran overturned and he set off to swim ashore.
1961 CE · -5.80, 138.20 · status: disputed
The account
A huge search found nothing. Rumours persisted that he had been killed by Asmat warriors from Otsjanep in revenge for an earlier Dutch raid; journalist Carl Hoffman argued this in 2014.
The sceptical view
Drowning or sharks are possible; the killing hypothesis rests on Dutch missionary and official reports never fully confirmed.