NJ NJ - Margaret Fox, 14, Burlington, 24 June 1974

[dotr]

FBI Newark Margaret Fox Cold Case Phone Call — FBI
Audio Transcript
Man's voice on recording: $10,000 might be a lot of bread, but your daughter’s life is the buttered topping.

 

[heyjudette]

Interesting article from a few years ago that talks more about what was in the ransom letters and also talks about Margaret’s diaries. So sad to hear she was bullied

A South Jersey teen left for a babysitting job 43 years ago and disappeared. Is she still alive?

 

[SAMS]

First time I’m reading this info... can’t recall if anyone else has posted it yet, forgive me if it’s a double post!

“Margaret’s father, David Fox, also spoke to Marshall on the phone to make sure his daughter would be in good hands.”

“Fellow officers also attempted to work every angle of the case and found their first suspect, an employee at the A & P named John Marshall. Marshall was eventually cleared after his alibi checked out and he passed a polygraph exam. Some investigators remained suspicious since polygraph testing isn’t always conclusive, however, others believe the true criminal wouldn’t have given his real name.”

“The FBI stepped in to assist on June 28 and began recording phone calls coming into the home. A man with a ransom demand called the day after Margaret’s information was distributed to the local media. The caller demanded $10,000 for Margaret’s safe return. “$10,000 is a lot of bread, but your daughter’s life is the buttered topping,” he said. A few days later, the Fox family received a letter reiterating what the kidnapper had said on the phone: that the money was “a lot of bread” but that Margaret’s safe return was the “buttered topping.” Mary and David Fox waited but never received further instructions from the kidnapper.

A second letter was received soon after the first. It was written to appear as though it had come from the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a small-scale terrorist organization that had kidnapped newspaper publishing heiress Patty Hearst in California on February 4, 1974. Investigators doubted the SLA’s involvement in Margaret’s disappearance. Police believe either the kidnapper or a prankster mentioned the SLA because the group was frequently in the news. After the second letter arrived there was no further communication.”



https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2019/06/margaret-ellen-fox/amp/

Wow! I wonder if dad recalled the audio being similar to the guy he spoke to?

 

[heyjudette]

Wow! I wonder if dad recalled the audio being similar to the guy he spoke to?

I was wondering same thing!

 

[SAMS]

Interesting article from a few years ago that talks more about what was in the ransom letters and also talks about Margaret’s diaries. So sad to hear she was bullied

A South Jersey teen left for a babysitting job 43 years ago and disappeared. Is she still alive?

So sad. She was a beautiful girl with a bright future. A child! Can’t imagine this monster went on to hurt other children. His audio audition makes me think this could’ve been his first rodeo. We all know the rest. MOO

 

[SAMS]

I was wondering same thing!

I hope he didn’t think the voices were similar and then LE dismissed him based on a lie detector and bc they didn’t think he’d use his real name?
There’s a reason they don’t hold up in court. IMO

 

[Via Marple]

Interesting article from a few years ago that talks more about what was in the ransom letters and also talks about Margaret’s diaries. So sad to hear she was bullied

A South Jersey teen left for a babysitting job 43 years ago and disappeared. Is she still alive?

From the link,
The phone number that was noted on Fox's notes with John Marshall's name was traced to a phone booth at a former supermarket in Mount Holly where the manager was named Jack Marshall. But he had an alibi and a polygraph determined he was truthful.

So John/Jack Marshall was actually the manager of that supermarket, where that phone booth was located??

That is too much of a coincidence to me. If it was not him, it could be an employee there. Someone who didn't like manager John Marshall. Perhaps the guy working at the bakery (if there was one)..?

I hope they have thoroughly investigated the supermarket. It could be the link.

 

[Really?]

There was a theater in the Lumberton Plaza where the phone call came from.
Finding out now that the call was made a day after her disappearance drops my hopes the caller was involved.
Hmmmmmm.....

 

[ADKGemini]

Added to Charley Project: Margaret Ellen Fox – The Charley Project

Margaret Ellen Fox

• 
• 
• 

Margaret, circa 1974; Age-progression to age 56 (circa 2016)

• Missing Since06/24/1974
• Missing FromBurlington, New Jersey
• ClassificationNon-Family Abduction
• Date of Birth02/04/1960 (59)
• Age14 years old
• Height and Weight5'2 - 5'3, 105 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA light blue long-sleeved floral-patterned blouse which was squared at the top and flared at the waist, a black and white or blue and white checkered waist-length jacket, a size 34B brassiere, maroon flared jeans with a yellow patch on one knee, brown sandals with a heel strap, a gold necklace with flowers and a blue stone on it, and a gold charm bracelet with a round blue stone. Carrying a brown bag and an eyeglass case with the Huckleberry Hound design.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Margaret has freckles. At the time of her disappearance, two of her top front right teeth were missing. She wears eyeglasses with hexagonal lenses, gold wire frames and broken-off temple and nose pieces.

Details of Disappearance
Margaret was last seen in Burlington, New Jersey on June 24, 1974. She was planning to go to High and west Broad Streets in Mount Holly, New Jersey to have an interview with a man who called himself John Marshall.

Margaret's younger sister accompanied her to the bus stop and saw her get on. Witnesses reported seeing her near Mill and High Streets after she got off the bus in Mount Holly, but she has never been heard from again.

Margaret had advertised for a babysitting job, and "Marshall" responded to the ad on June 19. He told her he needed a babysitter for the following weekend, but he postponed meeting her several times. Finally he said he would meet her in a red Volkswagen. He gave Margaret a telephone number to reach him; the number was traced to a public phone booth at a supermarket in Lumberton, New Jersey.

In the hours after Margaret was reported missing, police started recording all phone calls placed to her residence. Once was from a man who demanded $10,000 for Margaret's safe return. He stated, "$10,000 might be a lot of bread, but your daughter's life is the buttered topping." This caller has never been identified. You can listen the call here on the FBI website.

Margaret has never been heard from again and "John Marshall" has never been identified. Several other parents in the area complained that someone had attempted to lure their daughters with fake job offers. A suspect's 1976 confession to involvement in her disappearance was widely publicized, but turned out to be a hoax.

Margaret took piano lessons in 1974 and she liked to ride horses. She graduated from St. Paul's Grammar School in Burlington two weeks before she vanished. Her parents are now deceased, but her siblings are still alive, and some still live in the Burlington area. Her case remains unsolved.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

I've lived in NJ my entire life (except for college) and I don't hear a Northern (where I am from) or a Southern Jersey accent. Just not clicking for me.

I think he is for sure reading the statement. I tried to listen to some Rhode Island, and New York accents but they don't sound right either. My Ex is from Long Island and I don't hear that accent either. Philly maybe...

Definitely not Philly.

 

[SAMS]

From the link,
The phone number that was noted on Fox's notes with John Marshall's name was traced to a phone booth at a former supermarket in Mount Holly where the manager was named Jack Marshall. But he had an alibi and a polygraph determined he was truthful.

So John/Jack Marshall was actually the manager of that supermarket, where that phone booth was located??

That is too much of a coincidence to me. If it was not him, it could be an employee there. Someone who didn't like manager John Marshall. Perhaps the guy working at the bakery (if there was one)..

I hope they have thoroughly investigated the supermarket. It could be the link.

Yes. Supermarket employees. If they didn’t investigate them then I wonder how long employee records go back to. Probably not that long. Wonder what his alibi was? Wife said he was with her? Proof of him being at work? Some “alibis” shouldn’t be labeled as such IMO

 

[Via Marple]

Yes. Supermarket employees. If they didn’t investigate them then I wonder how long employee records go back to. Probably not that long. Wonder what his alibi was? Wife said he was with her? Proof of him being at work? Some “alibis” shouldn’t be labeled as such IMO

I wonder how noticeable that phone booth was at the supermarket. Are they usually near the front door, where employees and customers could easily see?

'Marshall' had used it a few times to contact and then postpone meeting with Margaret. I guess he did not look suspicious to others when using it. But it's the early 70s and I have no idea.

The supermarket is no longer there from what I read. No more employee records available now. I was hoping they DID investigate the supermarket back then.

 

[heyjudette]

I wonder how noticeable that phone booth was at the supermarket. Are they usually near the front door, where employees and customers could easily see?

'Marshall' had used it a few times to contact and then postpone meeting with Margaret. I guess he did not look suspicious to others when using it. But it's the early 70s and I have no idea.

The supermarket is no longer there from what I read. No more employee records available now. I was hoping they DID investigate the supermarket back then.

Was thinking the same... would it be suspicious for this guy to be talking on the phone there multiple times? I wonder about the setup of the supermarket as well.. I also find it odd with the “Marshall” name used by the man and the other “Marshall” guy who worked at the supermarket. I think someone stated it earlier, maybe it was another worker at the supermarket who couldn’t come up with a better fake name so he just used “Marshall”.

Like you said, I really hope they investigated those who worked at the supermarket back then...

 

[SAMS]

I was born in 72. Wondering how different supermarkets were set up in ‘74 vs the 80’s when I can recall plenty of stores having a payphone just inside the doors. Hard to tell though. Does anyone know the name of the supermarket? Perhaps older relatives or friends of any of us would recall the setup. I too am wondering if he said Marshall bc it was a convenient name. MOO

 

[CCJD]

I was born in 72. Wondering how different supermarkets were set up in ‘74 vs the 80’s when I can recall plenty of stores having a payphone just inside the doors. Hard to tell though. Does anyone know the name of the supermarket? Perhaps older relatives or friends of any of us would recall the setup. I too am wondering if he said Marshall bc it was a convenient name. MOO

It was an A&P store. Pertinent portion of article attached.
29 Jun 1974, Page 9 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com

 

[CCJD]

The phone booth was outside of the store.
28 Jun 1974, Page 21 - Courier-Post at Newspapers.com

 

[SAMS]

It was an A&P store. Pertinent portion of article attached.
29 Jun 1974, Page 9 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com

Thank you!

 

[SAMS]

The phone booth was outside of the store.
28 Jun 1974, Page 21 - Courier-Post at Newspapers.com

Thank you! So, somewhat out of the view of store employees working inside but that doesn’t mean that no employees saw him make these calls. He must have thought of how clever he was to run such a scam and actually lure a young girl. Ugh. The fact that he actually left that number was bold though. Hopefully it’s his demise. MOO EBM

 

[Bit of hope]

Pondering about the theory that this was done by somebody who knew her. I could be somebody knowing somehow that she was a vulnerable girl. Maybe unsure about her appearance, being bullied. I agree, a coworker or somebody near is a good possibility. Otherwise how could this person know she was going to respond to an add for a babysitting job. This looks more at random. Maybe a costumer?

The only thing what is against the theory of somebody knowing her; why ask for 10.000 dollars...her father was a self made plumber...A known person would probably know that too. I really don't know what a skilled person earned those days, but to me it seems it wouldn't be a situation with a whole lot of money available. No offence meant here, but it looks like there wasn't enough money for dental repairs. I know....., different times, the if's and the could be's....and all the things that can be said against this...so please don't hit me.

 

[JSolt1210]

To me it sounds like the caller is reading a script. The way he seems to slow down when he gets to "is a buttered topping", as if trying to make sure he pronounces it clearly, just makes me feel like he's reading it. Also his monotone voice as he says it. He knows the words should have some emotion, but it sounds more rehearsed to me than in-the-moment natural. Maybe he wrote it down because he was afraid he'd stumble during the call?

The way he pronounces "daughter"—the first syllable sounds stereotypically New Yorker (think "dawg" or "caw-fee"). But he does pronounce the "r" at the end, which to me sounds either like someone younger (since TV was beginning to expose the country to a more West Coast accent), or like a native regional speaker trying to enunciate clearly. My father, born in NYC in 1940, would pronounce the "r" at the ends of words only when he was trying to be clear.