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

Yes. Her cousin and her placed a babysitting ad and "John Marshall" called both of them.

Were there other girls that this happened to? When you think about it now advertising that you are a teen wanting to babysit including a phone number would attract some real creepers. With cell phones and using social media you would probably get some interesting pictures too. With a local newspaper in 1974 how wide would the circulation be?
 
Were there other girls that this happened to? When you think about it now advertising that you are a teen wanting to babysit including a phone number would attract some real creepers. With cell phones and using social media you would probably get some interesting pictures too. With a local newspaper in 1974 how wide would the circulation be?

The ad was posted on a bulletin board at a grocery store. It was well trafficked. And yes, over 50 different girls had come forward after Margaret's disappearance to give the same story "man called about babysitter job" same story.
 
The ad was posted on a bulletin board at a grocery store. It was well trafficked. And yes, over 50 different girls had come forward after Margaret's disappearance to give the same story "man called about babysitter job" same story.
Here is another weird babysitting murder/kidnapping. I thought one article said a newspaper was where she advertised.
 

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The ad was posted on a bulletin board at a grocery store. It was well trafficked. And yes, over 50 different girls had come forward after Margaret's disappearance to give the same story "man called about babysitter job" same story.
And none of those girls had taken his job offer?

I remember reading about this here, but have forgotten the outcome....
 
This guy went out of his way to lure Margaret into a fake babysitting gig. He even talked to her father. It sounds like he might have tried this other times with other girls. Was she is one of his first victims or had he practiced something like it before. It seems like talking to a parent could be youthful arrogance or it's confidence knowing it has worked before.
I'm curious if he kept the kids age and gender the same if he made contact with other girls. The best lies usually have some truth to them. A kids age, a work schedule, a car, if it wasn't his life maybe he was using someone else's. If he was able to talk about a 5 year old and their schedule, and what things were expected of a sitter to a 14 year old and her dad, he had to know something about children that age. If he wasn't a father maybe he stayed with people, a girlfriend, a sibling or even parents that had a kid that age. Or around that age.
Sounded like a very confident fraudster, didn't he?

Or maybe, he had hired a teenage babysitter for real before. Knew their type, knew how to talk to their parents.

A bit strange to try to get them to travel to another town, which had proved to be quite a hurdle for most of the potential victims. One would think a fraudster would set an easier, more tempting trap.

Also start to wonder... If he gave a random phone booth number to his victims, what if Margaret did suddenly need to postpone the start date or time? Then she might have reached someone else picking up the phone. Unless of course, there was only one "John Marshall" nearby!:eek:
 
Sounded like a very confident fraudster, didn't he?

Or maybe, he had hired a teenage babysitter for real before. Knew their type, knew how to talk to their parents.

A bit strange to try to get them to travel to another town, which had proved to be quite a hurdle for most of the potential victims. One would think a fraudster would set an easier, more tempting trap.

Also start to wonder... If he gave a random phone booth number to his victims, what if Margaret did suddenly need to postpone the start date or time? Then she might have reached someone else picking up the phone. Unless of course, there was only one "John Marshall" nearby!:eek:

It's scary how many creeps there can be in an area. And I'm not talking about ones listed on a sex offender registry. I remember when caller ID was a little box hooked up to your phone.
Margaret was walked to the bus and people claimed to have seen her get off at the "right" stop. I think the bus and the getting a girl to another location helped conceal his identity. If he trolled for babysitters or girls looking for similar jobs he could have been playing a numbers game. He calls as many people as possible until he gets someone to come to his area or the location he picked out. Did he give her the number right away or the day of? It sounded like when the parents called someone answered and didn't mention it was a payphone. Before cell phones you might assume the person knew what number they were calling.
 
cherrymeg, thanks for posting all the clippings.... I am particularly interested in all-you-can-eat for $1.66!

Seriously I was reading the 1974-6-28 clipping for the first time, perhaps missed it before. So much info already early on. And Jack Marshall the store assistant manager was already cleared by his policeman friend of 25 years... Partly because this Marshall had grown up children and not a little boy at home! This friend was so trusting:rolleyes::confused:
 
It's scary how many creeps there can be in an area. And I'm not talking about ones listed on a sex offender registry. I remember when caller ID was a little box hooked up to your phone.
Margaret was walked to the bus and people claimed to have seen her get off at the "right" stop. I think the bus and the getting a girl to another location helped conceal his identity. If he trolled for babysitters or girls looking for similar jobs he could have been playing a numbers game. He calls as many people as possible until he gets someone to come to his area or the location he picked out. Did he give her the number right away or the day of? It sounded like when the parents called someone answered and didn't mention it was a payphone. Before cell phones you might assume the person knew what number they were calling.
You may well be right... Then he must be a very fussy perp. He had preferred area, location, date, and time, for his evil plan, that his victims had to comply with. What was the FBI profile for him again..?
 
You may well be right... Then he must be a very fussy perp. He had preferred area, location, date, and time, for his evil plan, that his victims had to comply with. What was the FBI profile for him again..?

He didn't want to be seen or meet parents. If a parent wanted to drop off their daughter, he'd have to give them an address they might want to come in and check things out. In 1974 was stranger danger a big deal? Is it weird that she didn't get an address from him or at least notone she gave to her parents. I was born in the 80's and kidnapping and poisoned halloween candy were real threats. I think we still had more freedom then kids now. After Ted Bundy and his fake injuries and lies used to abduct women that changed things. Looking for a babysitter you would think a person would want someone more local not a total stranger. Especially if it is a long term gig.
 
cherrymeg, thanks for posting all the clippings.... I am particularly interested in all-you-can-eat for $1.66!

Seriously I was reading the 1974-6-28 clipping for the first time, perhaps missed it before. So much info already early on. And Jack Marshall the store assistant manager was already cleared by his policeman friend of 25 years... Partly because this Marshall had grown up children and not a little boy at home! This friend was so trusting:rolleyes::confused:

Sorry, I think those clippings might be a little out of date. If they don't have an expiration date maybe you can hold them to that price (if they are still there lol). I like the original articles because they sometimes have info or quotes that don't show up in more recent ones. Maybe they aren't important but they give you a sense of what was going on at the time.
 
Sorry, I think those clippings might be a little out of date. If they don't have an expiration date maybe you can hold them to that price (if they are still there lol). I like the original articles because they sometimes have info or quotes that don't show up in more recent ones. Maybe they aren't important but they give you a sense of what was going on at the time.

RBBM, same! It is very interesting to go back and see the evolution of the investigation sometimes. It helps to see if the original investigators might have overlooked something because they were too trusting or because they didn't know some of the things we know today.

Cleared or not, I am still VERY suspicious of Jack Marshall.
 
RBBM, same! It is very interesting to go back and see the evolution of the investigation sometimes. It helps to see if the original investigators might have overlooked something because they were too trusting or because they didn't know some of the things we know today.

Cleared or not, I am still VERY suspicious of Jack Marshall.

A friend, coworker or even a family member could have borrowed his name. He worked next right by the payphone. If you lie a about your name you might pick something you would remember. If a call came through asking for a Mr. Marshall, would people have known Jack Marshall well enough to assume it might have been for him.
Or Jack Marshall is very brazen. idk
 
RBBM, same! It is very interesting to go back and see the evolution of the investigation sometimes. It helps to see if the original investigators might have overlooked something because they were too trusting or because they didn't know some of the things we know today.

Cleared or not, I am still VERY suspicious of Jack Marshall.
My number 1 suspect. Or at least, all investigation should have him as a starting point. Too many coincidences not to look at him.

If he had grown up children then, he could be in his 40s.
 
A friend, coworker or even a family member could have borrowed his name. He worked next right by the payphone. If you lie a about your name you might pick something you would remember. If a call came through asking for a Mr. Marshall, would people have known Jack Marshall well enough to assume it might have been for him.
Or Jack Marshall is very brazen. idk
Yes indeed, someone using his name was a possibility.

I like your theory about using a name you would remember. It reminds me of an Australian case that I have been sleuthing. A (now) convicted killer used an unknown guy called Morris as her 'alibi'. Then when interviewed a few years later, she remembered him as Norris. That was supposed to be her sexual partner, father of her child, and she forgot?

The art of lying indeed.

Edit to add that thread:
Still Missing - Australia - Tegan Lane, 2 days old, Sydney, 14 Sept 1996 *K. Lane guilty*
 
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Perp was confident cold-calling all those people, telemarketer? salesman? actor?
Buttered... so similar to the word, battered.
imo.
He was calling Margaret and cousin about their ad, so not exactly cold calling..

But seemed to have a lot of time at a phone, if he didn't mind calling dozens of people just to snatch one.
 

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