The remains of Ned Kelly discovered

No, I'm not related to Australia's most famous son.

But art teacher Leigh Olver is; he is Ned's great-great nephew. And thanks to him, an almost complete skeleton has been identified as belonging to the legendary bushranger and outlaw.

Kelly, who was hanged for murder at Melbourne Gaol on November 11, 1880, was exhumed in 1929 and reburied in a mass grave at Pentridge Prison. Because it was a mass grave, his bones were mixed with the bones of others.

Ned Kelly on the day before his execution

Mr. Olver is descended from Ned Kelly's mother, Ellen (Quinn) Kelly, through an entirely maternal line. Since mitochondrial DNA is passed down through females, this means they were able to compare the DNA of the bones in the grave against Olver's. This, along with other physical evidence, allowed them to identify Kelly's.

The only thing they haven't found yet, apparently, is Ned's skull...

Leigh Olver with the remains of his Uncle Ned

Further reading:

Ned Kelly's life and death: timeline

How Ned Kelly's Remains were identified