By: Richard L. Smith
Nearly five decades after a man was found buried in a shallow grave in South Jersey, investigators have finally identified the victim in a long-unsolved homicide case.
According to a statement released by the New Jersey State Police, the victim has been identified as Robert Dean Irelan.
Irelan’s body was discovered on June 2, 1979, in a wooded area off Jericho Road in Quinton Township.
Authorities said he had been shot in the head and was believed to have died sometime during the winter of 1978–79.
Investigators noted that he was found wearing distinctive clothing, including white painter’s pants, black Pro-Keds sneakers, a plaid cotton shirt, and a heavy black-and-white pullover sweater.
He also had on a dark blue, waist-length Lee wool jacket adorned with a gold-plated initial “R” on one pocket and a small gold-plated cross on the other.
The case saw new movement in March 2023, when the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation. 
Officials said they utilized investigative genetic genealogy in partnership with the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center, leading to the breakthrough identification.
The investigation into Irelan’s death remains active and ongoing.