It's considered one of the biggest mysteries of all time, but now a documentary is offering a new explanation for northeast Kansas native Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
A never-before-seen photo, from the National Archives, is believed to show Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, after they crash-landed in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The photo came from a top secret Navy file, according to a new History Channel special.
Earhart vanished 80 years ago while attempting to become the first women to fly around the world.
The prevailing theory about what happened to Earhart and Noonan is that they crashed and sank in the South Pacific on July 2, 1937.
The newly unearthed photo suggests they survived and that decades-old theory is wrong.
The documentary makes the claim she may have been captured by the Japanese military.
The filmmakers also present accounts of locals who claimed to have seen her and use comparative photos of Earhart, Noonan and her plane to support their theory.
Japanese officials have reportedly denied the claims and U.S. officials have not confirmed any of the show's assertions.
Earhart was born in Atchison in 1897 and you can find more information on her life and legacy by visiting the Amelia Earhart Museum.
"Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence" airs this Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. on The History Channel.
