Photo caption: benjamin j. Beason, 42, of lower township, was reported missing in may 2024. Authorities have identified skeletal remains discovered in the whitesboro section of middle township in march as beason.
Photo caption: Benjamin J. Beason, 42, of Lower Township, was reported missing in May 2024. Authorities have identified skeletal remains discovered in the Whitesboro section of Middle Township in March as Beason.

Human Skull Found in Jersey Shore Canal Identified as Missing Cape May County Man

Skeletal remains discovered in the Whitesboro section of Middle Township have been identified as 42-year-old Benjamin J. Beason of Lower Township, more than two years after his family reported him missing.
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1 min read
September 3, 2026
  • Benjamin J. Beason, 42, of Lower Township was reported missing to police on May 22, 2024.
  • A resident discovered what appeared to be a human skull in a wooded area of Middle Township on March 3, leading to the recovery of additional remains.
  • Authorities have now positively identified the remains as Beason, but his cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Human remains discovered in a wooded area near Wildwood earlier this year have been positively identified as a Cape May County man who had been missing since May 2024, authorities announced Wednesday.

The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office identified the remains as Benjamin J. Beason, 42, of Lower Township. Beason’s family reported him missing to the Lower Township Police Department on May 22, 2024.

The discovery was first made March 3 when a Cape May County resident walking through a wooded area in the Whitesboro section of Middle Township came across what appeared to be a human skull. As Shore News Network previously reported, Middle Township police responded and a coordinated search involving multiple law enforcement and search-and-rescue agencies led to the recovery of additional skeletal remains.

The New Jersey State Police Forensic Anthropology Unit examined the remains before its findings were forwarded to the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. Authorities said that examination resulted in the remains being positively identified as Beason.

Beason’s cause and manner of death remain under investigation. Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said investigators will release additional information as it becomes available. The investigation is being coordinated with Middle Township Police Chief Tracey Super and Lower Township Police Chief Donald Vanaman Jr.

The identification follows several major missing-person investigations in Cape May County this year. In May, SNN reported on a multi-state search for a missing 16-year-old from Wildwood who was ultimately located safely in Pennsylvania. SNN has also covered other missing-person searches in Cape May County, including a New Jersey State Police investigation involving a missing Woodbine man.

Anyone with information about Beason’s disappearance or death can submit an anonymous tip to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at cmcpo.tips or call 609-465-1135.

Phil Stilton

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