vermontaigne
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The missing woman, who went by her middle name, Denise, has been mentioned in several threads on this site (http://www.websleuths.com/forums/search.php?searchid=8354461), but surely deserves her own.
She was driving from her family home in Oklahoma to visit a female friend in Bergen, NJ. Her parents were unconcerned about her making this journey, as she'd often traveled long distances solo when she had previously lived in South Dakota, where she had been convicted of forgery. She was the unemployed single parent of a little boy, who was viewed as dedicated to her son and, in the parlance, trying to "get her life together."
Denise stopped in Carlisle, PA, and checked into the Pike Motel off the Harrisburgh Pike on the evening of April 12, 1994. She called her friend in Bergen from the motel, telling her that she wouldn't be covering the rest of the distance and asking that the friend meet her there. She stated that she was going to go to the McDonald's near the motel, grab a bite to eat, and get some sleep. The friend was going to meet her up at the motel.
The friend arrived shortly after midnight April 13, was directed to Denise's room, and knocked, but got no response. She then asked the staff to open the room, where they found Denise's belongings--as well as her room key--but no sign of Denise. After waiting until the early morning, she contacted police to report Denise missing.
On the same morning, Denise's rental Plymouth Acclaim was found 35 miles distant, to the west and somewhat north of Carlisle, on State Route 274, in a very rural area near Tuscarora State Park, where it appeared to have "stopped in its tracks" in the westbound lane. It was out of gas, and the battery was dead. It was mud-splattered, and had scratches on it. Both the driver's and passenger's doors were "wide open." Inside were empty soda bottles, a pair of shoes, some uneaten french fries, and "indications of criminal activity, including a small quantity of marijuana." Denise's change purse, with a small sum of cash in it, was discovered in a nearby ditch.
Police determined that her odometer reading suggested that the vehicle had traveled between 600 and 700 miles more than would have been necessary to get to Carlisle, PA, from her starting point. They also seem to believe that Denise may actually have traveled east of Carlisle before turning back and calling her friend: "A time line pieced together from witness accounts and telephone logs places Wells as far east as Schaefferstown in Lebanon County and Bernville in Berks County before she apparently doubled back to the Carlisle area." She had traveled some distance out of her way to get to Carlisle, whether by design or from having gotten bad directions or made a mistake.
As a weird coda to this weird case, the wife of Denise's married ex-boyfriend claimed that she had received a call from Denise at about Thanksgiving 1974. She claimed that Denise had stated that she had gotten married and wouldn't be coming home. Police were skeptical.
Oddly, the remains of Cynthia Vanderbeek were discovered in 1995 by a jogger on Tuscarora Mountain, nearby. Her husband was subsequently convicted of her murder. The husband and wife were traveling from working at a boat show in Maine back to Florida, when he strangled her and dumped her there, deviating substantially to do so. There's almost certainly no connection, but it is a strange coincidence.
Denise's NamUs file shows DNA available, dentals not.
Charley Project
Official Cold Case Investigations
Project Jason
She was driving from her family home in Oklahoma to visit a female friend in Bergen, NJ. Her parents were unconcerned about her making this journey, as she'd often traveled long distances solo when she had previously lived in South Dakota, where she had been convicted of forgery. She was the unemployed single parent of a little boy, who was viewed as dedicated to her son and, in the parlance, trying to "get her life together."
Denise stopped in Carlisle, PA, and checked into the Pike Motel off the Harrisburgh Pike on the evening of April 12, 1994. She called her friend in Bergen from the motel, telling her that she wouldn't be covering the rest of the distance and asking that the friend meet her there. She stated that she was going to go to the McDonald's near the motel, grab a bite to eat, and get some sleep. The friend was going to meet her up at the motel.
The friend arrived shortly after midnight April 13, was directed to Denise's room, and knocked, but got no response. She then asked the staff to open the room, where they found Denise's belongings--as well as her room key--but no sign of Denise. After waiting until the early morning, she contacted police to report Denise missing.
On the same morning, Denise's rental Plymouth Acclaim was found 35 miles distant, to the west and somewhat north of Carlisle, on State Route 274, in a very rural area near Tuscarora State Park, where it appeared to have "stopped in its tracks" in the westbound lane. It was out of gas, and the battery was dead. It was mud-splattered, and had scratches on it. Both the driver's and passenger's doors were "wide open." Inside were empty soda bottles, a pair of shoes, some uneaten french fries, and "indications of criminal activity, including a small quantity of marijuana." Denise's change purse, with a small sum of cash in it, was discovered in a nearby ditch.
Police determined that her odometer reading suggested that the vehicle had traveled between 600 and 700 miles more than would have been necessary to get to Carlisle, PA, from her starting point. They also seem to believe that Denise may actually have traveled east of Carlisle before turning back and calling her friend: "A time line pieced together from witness accounts and telephone logs places Wells as far east as Schaefferstown in Lebanon County and Bernville in Berks County before she apparently doubled back to the Carlisle area." She had traveled some distance out of her way to get to Carlisle, whether by design or from having gotten bad directions or made a mistake.
As a weird coda to this weird case, the wife of Denise's married ex-boyfriend claimed that she had received a call from Denise at about Thanksgiving 1974. She claimed that Denise had stated that she had gotten married and wouldn't be coming home. Police were skeptical.
Oddly, the remains of Cynthia Vanderbeek were discovered in 1995 by a jogger on Tuscarora Mountain, nearby. Her husband was subsequently convicted of her murder. The husband and wife were traveling from working at a boat show in Maine back to Florida, when he strangled her and dumped her there, deviating substantially to do so. There's almost certainly no connection, but it is a strange coincidence.
Denise's NamUs file shows DNA available, dentals not.
Charley Project
Official Cold Case Investigations
Project Jason