No Longer “an Unknown ChiId”

Ninety years after the Titanic sank in April 1912, a small victim of that disaster has been identified, says The Times of London.


His body, along with 43 other unidentifled victims found floating in the water, was buried in Nova Scotia, Canada. His gravestone read: “An Unknown Child.” A team of 50 scientists, historians, genealogists, and dentists used DNA matching to identify the child as Eino Panula, a 1 3-month- old Finnish boy who died with his mother and four brothers.


The family intended to start a new life in America, where Eino’s father, who had made the trip earlier, waited for them in vain. When nobody claimed or identified the dead child, the crew of the Canadian recovery ship “adopted” him, paying for and tending his grave.


Other nameless victims of the Titanic may also be identified through DNA matching. To aid the investigation, a “maternal relative [of one of the victims] gave a blood sample just after his l00th birthday,” said The Times.