NJ NJ - Jan Cotta, 19, Wall Township, 26 June 1973

meggilyweggily

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She had just turned 19 when she disappeared from Wall Township, NJ in 1973. Pretty girl. I wonder if they looked at Ted Bundy for this? NJ is a bit out of his territory but I know he killed girls pretty much wherever he went -- they suspect him in a few Vermont murders, for example. And Jan certainly looks like his type.

Jan's NCMEC poster

Jan's 1973 photo

Jan's age-progression photo (APed to age 50)

Anybody have any other info on this case, I'd like to know. My usual research routes are blocked right now as I'm on spring break and at home without my computer.

Here's to hoping that Jan's family gets answers.
 
Hi Meaghan, extremely good chance she's a Bundy victim. As you said, she's exactly his type. A quote from "The Only Living Witness" by Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth says "We found no official reports of attacks on women such as Ted described but by our estimates these assaults would have occurred throughout 1973. The first attack on the woman gumbling for her keys might have come in the Spring..." By his own admission, in 1973 Ted was regularly peeping through windows after following women home. Jan Cotta disappeared from her home. At that time (from May 1973) Ted was working in Olympia, Seattle? In July 1973 Ted was in San Francisco. So there's a month in there where he was just working for the Governor's Office. It's possible he visited NJ although I can find no mention of it.
 
I just did a bit more research and I don't think it could have been Bundy. He just didn't have the time or funds to have flown across the other side of the country. I think he was certainly still attacking women in the Seattle area in 1973 but not New Jersey. As part of his job he took many business trips at that time, all paid for, all over Washington State so I think any other victims would come from that state. I have found no records of an interstate business trip in June 1973.
 
Well, if it's not Bundy it might well have been someone like him, assuming Jan didn't decide to leave on her own. (One can't rule that out -- it was after all the age when a lot of young people were doing that.) It's worrisome how many Bundys there are out there. And there's always the temptation to attribute all Bundy-like crimes to Bundy himself. There was one girl whom everyone thought he had killed, even though he insisted he hadn't, then like 35 years later they found out it was someone else.
 
You're right, I wish we had some more info about it. It's also curious why she had an alias, although not too dissimilar from her own name.
And you're also right about Bundy, there were absolutely others that he did kill but wouldn't name, but when he denied the murder he was often telling the truth.
 
I grew up in Monmouth County and around that time there was this sicko killing and abducting girls for fun,just to see them die.His name was Richard Biegenwald,he was a seriel killer and responsible for quite a few deaths,I remember when it all happened and being so scared to leave the house

just put his name in the search engine a whole page comes up on him,he was dubbed the Thrill Killer
 
Jan's profile (see also http://doenetwork.us/cases/1654dfnj.html) has strong similarities in height, age, geographic location, and timeframe to a Jane Doe found in New Jersey in 1988: http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/20ufnj.html. The new computer reconstruction seems to resemble her fairly well.

According to Mandy O'Blenis of the Doe Network, this case has passed the Network's Possible Match Panel review and will be forwarded to law enforcement.
 
Her face, especially in the age progression photo looks oh so familiar to me, but I just can't place it. It could be someone I know who has a similar look or hairstyle.
 
Fronkensteen said:
According to Mandy O'Blenis of the Doe Network, this case has passed the Network's Possible Match Panel review and will be forwarded to law enforcement.
Wow, the similarities are amazing, and the time frame right on. She lived in the shore area and was found in the shore area (Atlantic Highlands and Wall about 45 minutes - 1 hour away from each other?)

Please post any updates if you see anything.
 
Fronkensteen said:
Jan's profile (see also http://doenetwork.us/cases/1654dfnj.html) has strong similarities in height, age, geographic location, and timeframe to a Jane Doe found in New Jersey in 1988: http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/20ufnj.html. The new computer reconstruction seems to resemble her fairly well.

According to Mandy O'Blenis of the Doe Network, this case has passed the Network's Possible Match Panel review and will be forwarded to law enforcement.
It is likely that Biegenwald (The Thrill Killer) was responsible for this. He would go for girls with long dark hair. He would lure them in his car with marijuana. Any updates on this?

 
http://webdb.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/njsp/mpdisplay.cgi?mpid=311

It says here that Jan was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
It gives her middle name as Andre -- I wonder if that's a typo for Andrea. If that's the case, the "alias" Jane Andrea Cotta would be just a respelling of her name. I've occasionally toyed with the spelling of my name but I wouldn't say it was an alias exactly. Just a whim. Anyway, Andre is sometimes used for girls, but it might be Andrea. Elsewhere on the site they misspell Melissa McGuinn's name as "Melissa McQuinn."
 
It seems odd for her to be 5- 7 months and weigh 125 but that may be an estimate or typo so maybe the page she is on just has some problems? being pregnant gives a new angle to it though. The father may have been unhappy about the pregnancy.
 
Fronkensteen said:
Jan's profile (see also http://doenetwork.us/cases/1654dfnj.html) has strong similarities in height, age, geographic location, and timeframe to a Jane Doe found in New Jersey in 1988: http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/20ufnj.html. The new computer reconstruction seems to resemble her fairly well.

According to Mandy O'Blenis of the Doe Network, this case has passed the Network's Possible Match Panel review and will be forwarded to law enforcement.

How long does this process usually take?
 
This match would have been sent to LE on both sides almost immediately upon passing the panel. then the wait begins for LE response...which varies greatly.
 
Fronkensteen said:
Jan's profile (see also http://doenetwork.us/cases/1654dfnj.html) has strong similarities in height, age, geographic location, and timeframe to a Jane Doe found in New Jersey in 1988: http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/20ufnj.html. The new computer reconstruction seems to resemble her fairly well.

According to Mandy O'Blenis of the Doe Network, this case has passed the Network's Possible Match Panel review and will be forwarded to law enforcement.
:waitasec: I wonder if Mandy is aware you are passing on privilaged information about a possible match? They kick people off Doe for that you know.
 
lady-eowyn said:
Her face, especially in the age progression photo looks oh so familiar to me, but I just can't place it. It could be someone I know who has a similar look or hairstyle.
I think in the age progressed she resembles Yeardly Smith, the actress who does the voice of Lisa Simpson, and played Marlene, Greg's secretary on Dharma and Gregg. Google that name and then images to see some photos.



Edited to add - I don't think it is her, and don't mean to imply that. I just think that is who she resembles. It was bugging me for a while till I recalled this.
 
I really thought the remains were of Charlotte Loomis. Jan seems to be a likely match too. I will be very happy when this case is resolved.
 

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