Over 60 years after an heir of one of America’s wealthiest families vanished off the coast of a remote island inhabited by cannibals, questions still swirl over what may have caused his untimely disappearance – or death. 

Michael Rockefeller, the youngest son of then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, was just 23 years old and a recent Harvard graduate when he departed for a months-long trip to the island of Dutch New Guinea, a region inhabited by the Asmat, to collect indigenous art for a Museum of Primitive Art exhibition. 

The Asmat people were particularly talented in woodcarving, decorating elaborate spirit masks and ancestor “bisj” poles. Despite their artistic beauty, they were also known for headhunting and cannibalism, rooted in their spiritual beliefs. 

Nelson Rockefeller with Mary Todhunter Clark and their children, Anne, Mary, Steven, Rodman and Michael on Nov. 18, 1958. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

According to Hoffman, the priests documented their findings, but the reports were only ever shown to the Dutch government and the apostolic vicar – the highest Catholic official in the Netherlands. The Rockefeller family was reportedly made aware of the rumors, resulting in them reaching out to Dutch officials, who allegedly swept the claims under the rug. 

The young Rockefeller’s passion for indigenous art is reflected in the newly renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The wing showcases 16 galleries of art, including works from Oceania, Africa and the ancient Americas. 

“Opened to the public in 1982, the addition was named after Nelson Rockefeller’s son, Michael C. Rockefeller, who was greatly inspired by the cultures and art of the Pacific and pursued new avenues of inquiry into artistic practice during his travels there,” according to the Met’s website. “Among the wing’s signature works are the striking Asmat sculptures he researched and collected in southwest New Guinea.”

The Met did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

While the mystery surrounding Rockefeller’s disappearance may never be solved, his legacy will live on through the artwork of the people who may have been the ones to end his life.  

“There was nothing primitive about the Asmat at all,” Hoffman said. “They were this fantastically rich, complex culture that had 17 tenses and produced this art that was a direct view into archetypes and of the human unconscious, the human mind – and that’s a fantastic thing. It’s mind-opening, and it’s mind-expanding, and it’s inspiring.”