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On a Monday afternoon August 7, 1972 in Springfeild Township, NJ, Jeanette DePalma let it be known to her mom she would be taking a train to a friend's house. Never arriving nor ever returning, her parents filed a missing person's report. Six weeks passed with no signs of her whereabouts.
On September 19th a local dog from the neighborhood came home with what appeared to be a severely decomposed right forearm with the hand still intact. The dogs owner immediately called the police. They would search the nearby quarry in a wooded area the dog would frequent to find the rest of Jeanette DePalma's severely decomposed remains atop a cliff known to locals as "The Devils Teeth".
The extent of decomposition made it difficult to determine a cause of death during the autopsy but an abnormally high level of lead was found. No signs of bullet or stab wounds were present nor were there any broken bones or signs of drug use. The coroner highly suspecting strangulation would ultimately deem the case a homicide.
One report about a homeless man known to locals as "Red" claimed the possibility of his involvement but would soon be dismissed. Police found it difficult to narrow down what happend to Jeanette due to lack of information from the public and inconsistent stories from friends and family. Eventually the case went cold.
On Septemeber 29, 1972 an article appeared in the local Elizabeth Daily Journal titled "Girl Sacrificed In Witch Rite?" It claimed the investigation was focused on elements of black witch craft and Satan worship and reviews of death scene photos are leading authorities to believe Depalmas death may have been in the nature of a sacrifice. Apparently peices of wood initially believed to be at the scene by chance were now seen as symbols. One searcher at the scene said two pieces of wood were crossed on the ground over her head while more wood framed her body like a coffin. Another person present at the scene stated "I guess if you were looking for signs, they were there".
Before the article was published the case received little attention and publicity. Suddenly more stories from locals made claims about conditions at the scene. One story claimed Depalmas body was layed inside a pentagram with stones placed around her head forming a halo. Another claimed animal remains were scattered about the crime scene. Law enforcement denied these claims were true.
Depalmas body discovered on the cliff known as "The Devils Teeth" would fuel these claims even further leading many to believe satan worshippers or even a coven of witches who were active at the time were responsible for her death. Her family and pastor would even go on to think the work Jeanette did for her church made her a target for such groups. The church eventually distanced themselves from the case due to the media circus in which it became. Despite claims and rumors lingering on for several years, the case would become colder. The story(s) of Jeanettes death would merge into a local urban legend to the residents of Springfeild Township, NJ.
In the late 90's the magazine "Weird NJ" began reporting on the case after receiving anonymous letters on Depalmas death. Intrigued by the letters, reporters Mark Moran and Jess pollack started research on the decades old cold case. When asking the police department about Jeanettes case files, they would claim they were lost in a flood caused by hurricane Floyd. Jeanettes former friends and acquaintances wouldn't go on record regarding the case.
Through continued research, Moran and pollack discover instances of a possible cover up, possible connections to other unsolved murders, and previously unknown suspects. Edward Salzano sued the union county persecutors office to test Depalmas clothing for DNA. He was given a box of documents containing the FBI crime lab report and medical examiners report. The crime lab report would mention stains found in her underwear, bra, blouse, and slacks were to decomposed for conclusive blood and semen examinations.
Eventually it was discovered that copies of the case did still exist and were never destroyed in a flood. This would lead Moran and pollack along with relatives of Jeanette to ask a former director of communications to submit a file request under the public open records and freedom of information act in 2019. The pandemic would delay these actions and pollack would finally receive Jeanettes case file in February 2021. All the details including crime scene photos previously claimed to be missing were included in the file.
Though Jeanettes body in the crime scene photo is redacted, the surrounding area her body layed is clear and viewable. There were no signs of occult activities to be seen, ultimately debunking all previous claims of wooden crosses, halos made of stone, scattered animal remains, and pentagrams being present at the scene. Pollack was confident the scene was merely an area of overgrown brush and the police department told the truth when denying other claims of occult findings.
In spring of 2021, the convicted New Jersey serial killer Richard Cottingham wrote several statements to Jesse Pollack hinting he possibly abducted and killed Jeanette while she was hitchhiking. Pollack would forward this to the county prosecuters officer after Cottingham agreed to speak with investigators. His statements regarding Jeanettes death were printed in the 2022 updated and revised edition of the book "Death On The Devils Teeth".
Conclusion: An updated article on the case was written for The Daily Beast in 2022. The organization named "Justice for Jeanette DePalma" is dedicated to keeping her in memory and searching for new clues as the case surpasses the half century mark.
