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#Post#: 5648--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988 *Nancy Carol Fitzgerald*
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 3:50 pm
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HTML http://articles.philly.com/1998-12-15/news/25723551_1_honecker-human-skull-human-skeleton
Skull's Identity Defies Decade Of Police Work A Young Woman's
Remains Were Found In Monmouth County In 1988. Officials Are
Hoping For New Leads.
By Lillian Micko, INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF
POSTED: December 15, 1998
Ten years ago, a resident helping to clear some land for a
bicycle trail in the small Shore community of Atlantic Highlands
in Monmouth County came upon something hard in the dirt.
A piece of plastic, perhaps. Maybe a ball. But a human skull?
That is what it turned out to be, and more excavating uncovered
85 percent of a human skeleton.
Studies at the time produced this profile of the body's possible
identity: white female, age 15 to 18, between 5-foot-1 and 5-4,
and between 100 and 120 pounds.
Among the law-enforcement officials at the scene that day, Dec.
10, 1988, was Robert A. Honecker Jr., director of investigations
for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
Honecker, now the second assistant prosecutor, is hoping the
10-year anniversary sparks renewed interest in the case and new
leads on the identity of the remains.
At the time of the discovery, he and a few other investigators
who had some training in the recovery of skeletal remains
arranged for a forensic anthropologist to be taken to the
location, Honecker said last week.
The specialist determined that the clothing on the remains,
including hippie-era platform shoes and a long-sleeved laced
top, indicated that the bones had been there since the late
1960s or early 1970s, Honecker said.
Because of the passage of time, there was no ``body'' for an
autopsy, although an examination showed there had been no trauma
to any bones, he said. The anthropologist's findings were turned
over to a State Police artist who produced a sketch that was
distributed widely. However, there was no break in the case.
In 1992, Honecker said, new techniques and the assistance of the
FBI led to the creation of a clay reconstruction over the skull.
Again, hundreds of photos were distributed of the model, showing
what the young woman might have looked like. Still nothing. At
that point, Honecker said, the investigation had covered almost
every state and had extended overseas. Leads were followed in
England by Interpol, the international investigation agency.
Nothing still.
In 1997, several pieces of the skeletal remains were sent for
DNA profiling to LabCorp in North Carolina. Three months ago,
the results of that analysis led to a profile that seemed to
lead to a major break: The young woman's possible appearance
matched the description of a girl who had been missing from the
Mount Holly area since 1975.
A DNA sample from the girl's father was taken, but testing
showed that the skeletal remains could not have been those of
his daughter, Honecker said.
Honecker said he was optimistic that with even greater
technological advances, science could help investigators finally
identify the girl, who would have been a woman in her 40s today.
``Someone out there is related to her,'' he said. ``Someone may
still be looking for her and be having hopes of finding her. She
may be somebody's niece, daughter or sister. . . . We would like
to bring closure.''
Anyone with information that may help identify the remains is
asked to call Capt. Philip George or Detective Adam Hubeny in
the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 800-533-7443 or
Detective Sgt. Carolyn Thompson of the Atlantic Highlands police
at 732-291-1212.
#Post#: 5649--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:00 pm
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The area is really very nice. Rt. 35 passes through Atlantic
Highlands and it's the main road to the bridge at Sandy Hook and
the ferry to NYC. Bayside Drive is a small private community
lane that is barely wide enough for two cars. It's a secluded
area that sits high over the bay and the homes have a beautiful
view of NYC. The homes are very expensive. There's a steep drop
down to the water and it's all trees and woods. From what I was
reading, local residents were clearing a trail down to the main
bike trail that goes along the water. Someone had to have put
this victim in the woods at that location. This was not just a
victim who was dumped out of a car. The perp knew the area and
she wasn't found along the edge of the road. This was not a
location that had easy access. She spent up to 15 years in those
woods without anyone seeing her. It doesn't even sound like she
was buried. It sounds like she was left in the location where
she was eventually found and the clothing was left nearby.
I feel that whoever did this was either local to the area or
knew that section of Atlantic Highlands. The person had to know
how to get to Batside Drive and the woods. I don't think it was
someone who was passing through. She was dumped in a fairly
isolated location. I have no idea where our Jane Doe is from but
I do think that whoever killed her was local. There were several
serial killers running around northern New Jersey in the 1970s,
but most of them were in jail by the time she was probably
killed.
I read that when the archaeologists were called in, they divided
the area around her into four grids and 85% of her skeleton was
recovered. It doesn't sound like wildlife got to her and
scattered her remains. She was probably just covered with
fifteen years of leaves and vegetation. The Monmouth County
Medical Examiner has DNA and dental records. They just need to
connect her to someone who is missing and they will be able to
prove if it's a match. The bad condition of her teeth tells me
she didn't have much money. She could have been a prostitute
from one of the nearby urban areas.
#Post#: 5650--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:02 pm
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The houses on Bayside Dr. sit high over the water like this.
It's a steep drop to the water. From what I was reading, she was
found in the woods in one of the steep areas.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/sq0mMTv.jpg
New York City and New York Bay in the distance.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/deWel24.jpg
This is one of the cleared bike paths down to the larger Henry
Hudson Bike Trail. It sounds like she was left in the woods off
of one of these access paths.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/5qIVEQX.jpg
This is Bayside Dr. in front of a house. It's just a quiet
little street. It's not a main road to anywhere.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/nOQ7gFe.jpg
#Post#: 5651--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:02 pm
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There are many more homes on Bayside Dr. than there were in the
1970s. It was a much more isolated location. The construction of
large expensive homes had started, though. Executives from
places like Wall St. were starting to build large homes in the
area because it was so easy to get into lower Manhattan with the
Highlands Ferry. The ferry time is actually less than traffic
congestion time trying to get through the tunnels and bridges.
The area has everything - access to NYC, marinas, beaches, and
the ocean for fun. Atlantic Highlands became very appealing and
very expensive.
I was wondering if someone was throwing a party on Bayside Drive
and prostitutes were involved. Someone could have brought a
group of prostitutes over on the ferry for a party. The
coroner's report says that there was no trauma or injury to any
of her bones. I wonder if she died from a 1970s drug overdose
and was dumped in the woods. Who would be looking for a
prostitute and who would know where to look for a prostitute?
Someone in that Bayside Dr. area knows what happened to her. She
was only wearing the white socks, but she wasn't injured or
beaten. They have no idea what her cause of death was.
#Post#: 5652--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:09 pm
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HTML https://i.imgur.com/HsJkdYA.jpg
HTML https://i.imgur.com/XISnXzO.jpg
The anthropologist's findings were turned over to a State Police
artist who produced a sketch that was distributed widely.
However, there was no break in the case. In 1992, Honecker said,
new techniques and the assistance of the FBI led to the creation
of a clay reconstruction over the skull. Again, hundreds of
photos were distributed of the model, showing what the young
woman might have looked like. Still nothing.
HTML http://articles.philly.com/1998-12-15/news/25723551_1_honecker-human-skull-human-skeleton
#Post#: 5653--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:10 pm
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xclusions
The following people have been ruled out as being this decedent:
First Name Last Name Year of Birth State LKA
Carol Donn 1963 Florida
Margaret Fox 1960 New Jersey
Brenda Green 1972 Alabama
Lorraine Herbster 1962 New Jersey
Sandra Hopler 1955 Pennsylvania
Charlotte Loomis 1958 New Jersey
Tammie McCormick 1972 New York
Judith O'Donnell 1961 New York
Robyn Pettinatto 1960 New Jersey
Patricia Schmidt 1964 Virginia
Patricia Seelbaugh 1956 Pennsylvania
Sheryl Tillinghast 1956 New York
Karen Zendrosky 1963 New Jersey
HTML https://identifyus.org/cases/1458
#Post#: 5654--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Akoya Date: May 20, 2020, 4:11 pm
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HTML https://i.imgur.com/o1gsyeZ.gif
#Post#: 10295--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Scorpio Date: December 14, 2022, 12:03 am
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Monmouth County Jane Doe has been identified as Nancy Carol
Fitzgerald, of Bloomfield, NJ.
HTML https://i.imgur.com/NtjPeC3l.png
#Post#: 10296--------------------------------------------------
Re: MONMOUTH COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 15-20, found in Monmouth Count
y, NJ - December 10, 1988
By: Scorpio Date: December 14, 2022, 12:04 am
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HTML https://people.com/human-interest/skeletal-remains-found-1988-missing-teen-girl-vanished-50-years-ago-new-jersey/
Skeletal Remains Found in 1988 Belonged to Teen Girl Who
Vanished 50 Years Ago, Investigators Say
By Abigail Adams
Published on December 6, 2022 04:03 PM
New Jersey officials have confirmed that a set of skeletal
remains found in 1988 belong to a teenage girl who went missing
50 years ago.
Nancy Carol Fitzgerald was 16 when she vanished the day after
Easter on April 2, 1972, according to a press release from the
Office of the Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago.
Her remains were discovered 16 years later on Dec. 10, 1988,
during a community clean-up near the Henry Hudson Bike Trail in
Atlantic Highlands. For more than three decades, it was unclear
whose remains were found.
Through interviews and DNA analysis, officials determined that
they belonged to Fitzgerald, the MCPO said on Monday.
"Today's announcement marks the culmination of decades of hard
work by a network of individuals whose collective determination
and ingenuity proved inexhaustible," Santiago said in a
statement.
Fitzgerald lived with her family on Mohr Avenue in Bloomfield
when she vanished in 1972, according to the prosecutor's office.
The circumstances surrounding Fitzgerald's disappearance and
death remain unclear.
"To that end, we are urging anyone who may have any information
about this matter whatsoever to come forward and tell us what
they know," Santiago said.
"Ms. Fitzgerald's peers would all likely be in their 60s today,"
he added, "so we firmly believe that it is not too late to
determine what happened to her and why – and, if possible, to
hold any living person who may be responsible accountable for
it."
Like authorities, Fitzgerald's sister Kathleen Unterberger
still has questions about her sister's death, according to the
Asbury Park Press. She was 15 when her sibling went missing, and
is now one of only two living relatives of Fitzgerald.
Unterberger, who lives in Pennsylvania, said she helped
authorities identify her sister's remains once the MCPO located
her through a distant female relative in Georgia.
The prosecutor's office said it was able to make the connection
after contacting Bode Technology, a Virginia-based DNA analysis
firm, in 2020 "to pursue a forensic genealogical review of the
case" after previous profiles were unsuccessful.
Unterberger traveled cross-country in search of her sister
after she disappeared, the Asbury Park Press reported. She told
the paper that the identification of her sister's remains has
left her with a jumble of emotions.
"I never really stopped thinking about her," Unterberger
explained, "but when I stopped feeling about it, life got
easier, I guess. But now I have that feeling again. I just want
to hold her."
Anyone with information about Fitzgerald is asked to call MCPO
Detective Raynor at 800-533-7443 or Atlantic Highlands Police
Department Lt. Michael Zudonyi at 732-291-1212.
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