The Lost and the Found

The victim was discovered in a trash dumpster behind a pizzeria in Washington Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey on December 4, 1986. The coroner determined that the infant had been born, suffocated and located on the same day. Her mother is believed to be White as well; she would have been physically showing her pregnancy in the later summer and autumn months of 1986. The mother of the child has never been located.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/53ufnj.html

53UFNJ - Unidentified Female



Reconstruction of the victim; towel found with remains; composite of what the child's mother may have looked like.

Date of Discovery: December 4, 1986
Location of Discovery: Turnersville, Gloucester County, New Jersey
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Homicide by asphyxiation

Physical Description
Estimated Age: Newborn
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 1'8"
Weight: 7 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown or black
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Not available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Not available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: None.
Jewelry: None.
Additional Personal Items: gray plastic kitchen bag wrapped in a multicolored beach towel (pictured below). The towel is called the Serengeti Beach Towel and depicts an African plain scene.

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was discovered in a trash dumpster behind a pizzeria in Washington Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey on December 4, 1986. The coroner determined that the infant had been born, suffocated and located on the same day.

Her mother is believed to be White as well; she would have been physically showing her pregnancy in the later summer and autumn months of 1986. The mother of the child has never been located.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Gloucester County Prosecutor
Agency Contact Person: Det. Stacie Lick
Agency Phone Number: 856-384-5608
Agency E-Mail: slick(at)co.gloucester.nj.us
Agency Case Number: MCU86-0398

Agency Name: New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Services
Agency Contact Person: Anna Delaney
Agency Phone Number: 609-584-5054 ext. 5656
Agency Case Number: 08860438

Agency Name: Washington Township Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective First Class Anthony Garczynski
Agency Phone Number: 609-589-6651 or 609-256-1212
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: U100869925
NamUs Case Number: 1634
NCMEC Case Number: 1008699

Information Source(s)
NamUs
NCMEC
Gloucester County Prosecutor
New Jersey State Police

Admin Notes
Added: Prior to 2005; Last Updated: 5/28/18

https://www.nj.com/gloucester-count...d_homicides_in_gloucester_county_and_wha.html

Gallery: Gloucester County's unsolved homicides

By Andy Polhamus
apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com

For NJ.com

WOODBURY -- The years go by, and the trails get colder, but families still wait for answers.

Since 2008, there have been about 25 homicides in Gloucester County, and every one has ended in an arrest. Still, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office currently has 18 unsolved homicides in its caseload, ranging from the 2007 murder of a college athlete on a busy street corner to the discovery of a baby girl whose body was left in the woods. Some of the cases are decades old. And although the stories often fade from public memory after a few years, the GCPO has meetings each month in which detectives give any updates they've found on cold cases.

It's easy to lose hope, but Gloucester County has had a few major successes in the past. The most notable example is the conviction for a 25-year-old murder in 2005. In 2012, a man was convicted in the death of Jennifer Whipkey a decade after the 22-year-old was murdered. In 2007, a man was convicted of murdering and robbing a Franklinville resident in a crime that had occurred in 1997.

"It's a combination of hard work, using your resources and luck," said Sean Dalton, Gloucester County Prosecutor. "But the harder you work, the luckier you get."

Two major factors are ever-improving technology and the discovery of new leads, usually in the form of witnesses who had previously stayed quiet.

"Sometimes people who have knowledge of homicides have a crisis of conscience as they get older and mature," said Dalton. "They decide what happened way back when wasn't right, and they want to right that wrong."

Anyone with information on any of these cases is asked to call the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at (856) 384-6900.



On Dec. 4, 1986, the body of a full-term white baby girl was found in a dumpster behind the Towne Shopping Center located on the Black Horse Pike in Turnersville. The 7-pound body, wrapped in a towel, had been smothered.

http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/p/prosoffice/invunits/unsolved/janedoe1.asp

On December 4, 1986, the body of a full term white newborn female was found in a dumpster at the rear of Paisano Pizzeria in the Towne Shopping Center located on the Black Horse Pike in Turnersville (Washington Township). The body, weighing approximately 7 pounds, was wrapped in a beach towel that depicted an African plains scene. The wrapped body was also in a silver trash bag. The cause of death was ruled asphyxiation and the manner of death is homicide. The infant is still unidentified.

If you have any information concerning the death of Jane Doe #1, please contact:

Washington Township Police Detective Bureau
856-589-0330

Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office
Det. Stacie Lick
856-384-5608
slick@co.gloucester.nj.us