History and mysteries · Pleasantville, Atlantic City and Quinton
Robert Dean Irelan’s recovered identity (1979)
Documented history · Sources compared
A man found in a Salem County grave in 1979 was identified in 2026 as Robert Dean Irelan, who had lived in Pleasantville.
The name missing from the investigation
On June 2, 1979, a young man’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave off Jericho Road in Quinton Township. He had a gunshot wound to the head; investigators estimated death during the winter of 1978–79.
State Police referred the case to Ramapo College’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in March 2023. Its researchers developed Robert Dean Irelan as a candidate, and police obtained a relative’s DNA sample to confirm the identification. Ramapo announced the result on April 22, 2026.
The regional connection
Irelan had most recently lived in Pleasantville and was known to spend time in Atlantic City. The recovery was farther west in Salem County, outside the central Pine Barrens. His identity supplies a starting point for reconstructing that gap, but the announcement does not identify his killer or explain how he reached Quinton.
Sources and research limits
Ramapo College resolved cases, Robert Dean Irelan section, April 22, 2026. Identification is established; responsibility for the death is not resolved in this source.