A soldier from Ontario who vanished into a Japanese prison camp during World War II has finally come home. Pvt. Charles Thomas died in July 1942 after being captured and forced onto the Bataan Death March. He was identified through DNA nearly 84 years after he went missing, and his remains arrived at Ontario International Airport on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Thomas grew up in Ontario, according to the San Bernardino Sun. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces with the 7th Chemical Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, in the Philippines.
After American forces surrendered in April 1942, Thomas was captured and forced onto the brutal Bataan Death March, the newspaper reports. He died at a Japanese prison camp on July 5, 1942, and was first buried in a communal plot, his fate unresolved for generations.
DNA and Forensic Work Close an 84-Year Gap
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified Thomas's remains on May 19, 2026, using DNA along with anthropological and forensic testing conducted through the agency's Cabanatuan project, per the same account. The work is part of a broader national effort: the National WWII Museum notes that nearly 72,000 service members remain unaccounted for from World War II, and that the agency works under the Department of Defense with a mission to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing personnel for their families and the nation.
Eligible relatives can provide DNA samples, which help investigators identify remains and match them to families, the museum explains.
A Hero's Welcome Home
Thomas's remains arrived at Ontario International Airport on Friday, October 23, 2026. He will be laid to rest.
Pvt. Charles Thomas has finally been accounted for, with the people of Ontario at last able to lay him to rest.
