Breakthrough in Missing Child Case From 37 Years Ago

The use of DNA technology has enabled a breakthrough in a missing child case from over 30 years ago.

When remains were found along the highway in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in November 1992, all investigators could determine was that they belonged to a teenage boy.

Now, with the use of forensic technology, scientists have been able to determine that the bones belong to Anthony Angelli Rea, a teen who went missing from Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1988.

Newsweek has contacted the Essex County DA’s office via email for comment.

The Context

Rea’s disappearance has gone unsolved for over three decades, and would have likely remained unsolved if it were not for new forensic technology.

What To Know

According to the Essex County DA’s office, Rea was born in 1973 and lived for at least some of his life in Malden, Massachusetts. He was at the Harbor School in Newbury in August 1988 when he went missing.

Partially buried skeletal remains, which investigators now know to be Rea’s, were found in marsh grass alongside Route 95 South in Newburyport. The autopsy conducted at the time also could not determine the cause of death, per the Essex County DA’s office.

Investigators in 2025 were able to use support from NamUS, a missing persons criminal justice program funded and run by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) via a contract with Research Triangle Institute International (RTI), to pay for work conducted by private forensics lab Othram, located in Texas.

Forensic genetic genealogy scientists at Othram were able to use Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to create a profile for the remains, which is how they identified relatives of the deceased, and ultimately solved who the remains belonged to, explained the Essex County DA’s office via a press release.

What People Are Saying

The Essex County DA’s Office in a press release: “For 32 years, the State Police assigned to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and the Newburyport Police attempted to identify the remains.

“Although investigators developed significant leads, due to the limitations in DNA identification, they were unable to make a positive identification.

“Today, the Essex District Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of Othram, a private forensic laboratory in Woodlands, Texas, can positively identify the remains as that of Anthony Angelli Rea.”

What Happens Next

Police are still investigating what happened to Rea and have asked for the public to contact the State Police Unresolved Case Unit at 855-MA-SOLVE with any information they may have.