Katharina Buczek
Theories Behind Amelia’s Disappearance
Amelia and Fred’s tragic and mysterious disappearance has since captivated the public’s attention and sparked numerous theories.
The first is that their twin-engine plane simply crashed into the Pacific Ocean off of Howland Island.
However, since the plane has never been recovered, another theory spawned and suggested more sinister foul play.
Some have speculated that Amelia and Fred were either unable to find Howland Island or never intended to.
Instead, they landed among the Marshall Islands– which were northbound and controlled by the Japanese.
This theory suggests that the pair were taken hostage by the Japanese under the guise of being U.S. spies.
And if they were not eventually killed, they later returned to the United States using aliases.
A retired U.S. Air Force colonel named Rollin C. Reineck penned a book describing this very theory entitled Amelia Earhart Survived in 2003.
Reineck claimed that this plan would have allowed the U.S. government to rescue Amelia and Fred from the Marshall Islands while simultaneously performing prewar surveys on the Japanese.
However, Reineck believes the plan went sideways, and the pair were instead taken hostage.
