Uncovering Michael Rockefeller: A Journalist's Revelations 50 Years After the Socialite's Disturbing Disappearance
The Mystery of Michael Rockefeller's Disappearance in Asmat
Michael Rockefeller was the son of four-time New York Governor and the 41st U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, which is why the world was shocked when he went missing in 1961, during his pursuit to interact with a cannibalistic tribe inhabiting the Asmat region. People assumed the worst till National Geographic published the photo of the Asmat people, one of which featured an individual bearing striking resemblance to the missing Michael Rockefeller, LAD Bible reported. Following the publication of the photo, researchers became interested in the case and started to investigate whether the people of Asmat played any role in the explorer and Rockefeller family scion's disappearance. Carl Hoffman, an American journalist and author believes he might have the answer to what exactly happened with Rockefeller.
Who was Michael Rockefeller?
Michael Rockefeller's missing case got a lot of attention because he was the then New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller's son, Smithsonian Magazine reported. During his expedition to Dutch New Guinea (now West Papua) in Indonesia, as part of a seven-month journey across the globe, his boat got caught in the waves. According to testimonies received by Hoffman, Rockefeller tried to swim toward the shore, but while his companion anthropologist René Wassing was rescued after being found floating in the Arafura Sea, no one ever saw Michael Rockefeller again. A massive search operation was launched with hopes that he was in the custody of tribes who were known to be kind to their guests, but to no avail.
Photos of the Asmat Tribe
Rumors were rife that Michael Rockefeller did not drown but was cannibalized by the tribe in the Asmat region in New Guinea, LAD Bible reported. But a decade after the explorer went missing, National Geographic sent a filming crew to record the tribe and their practices. The crew came back with dozens of pictures featuring naked tribesmen rowing boats, and a Caucasian man similar to Michael Rockefeller was spotted in the pictures with the tribesmen. As soon as the photo made its way into the media, several conspiracy theories started doing the rounds. One of the most popular among them was that Rockefeller had joined the tribe and now was one of their own.
Carl Hoffman's Investigation
Hoffman became interested in Michael Rockefeller when he saw a photo of the politician's son kneeling with a camera in his hands, surrounded by a native tribe, Smithsonian Magazine reported. He decided to put his resources to use to find the truth behind Rockefeller's disappearance. He found out that Michael Rockefeller and his companion were collecting objects from Asmat villages in exchange for items like steel axes, fishing hooks, cloth, and tobacco for months. His objective behind the collection remains unknown, but on November 17, they were allegedly making another round of the villages to stock up on supplies when tragedy struck. Hoffman went to Asmat in 2014 and the testimony of his translator Amates finally put an end to the decades-long mystery. Amates stated that the Otsjanep warriors killed Michael Rockefeller when he reached the shore after swimming through the waters.
The Reason Behind the Killing
The tribe had been known for having peaceful interaction with visitors and therefore their violent streak shocked many people, LAD Bible reported. Hoffman analyzed the situation and shared that around the time when Rockefeller was allegedly killed, Dutch colonists had committed mass killings of the Asmat people. Otsjanep is a village, in the Asmat region which became a target of a Dutch colonial patrol officer named Max Lapre's rage. He arrived at the village along with armed officers and caused immense property damage and lives in the area, Vox reported. Hoffman believes that this could be the reason why Otsjanep warriors weren't welcoming towards Michael Rockefeller.