Identified! NJ - Blairstown, Cedar Ridge Cemetery, 'Princess Doe', WhtFem 14-18, 36UFNJ, peacock skirt, Jul'82 - Dawn Olanick *charges*

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da fino said:
the fact that her face was severely disfigured is saying something to me. perhaps there was some familiarity and emotional connection with her killer. or perhaps if someone recognized her it would have somehow pointed someone to her killer. for instance, perhaps she was recently acquainted with her killer and they were seen together.

likewise, if she was in fact seen in the A & P alive, and later found dead across the street, one would have to think the crime scene is very likely in that vicinity or close by.
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I had though she was possibly strangled elsewhere and the killer though she was dead. When he arrived at the cemetery to dump her into the ravine, he realized she was still alive, which sent him into a rage and/or panic.
 
rob525 said:
Ok. A lot of good thoughts being mentioned. I just had a couple questions /comments.
According to google maps it is 7.8 miles from the truck stop / rte 80 to the cemetary.
Exploring the angle that she was a prostitute, does not necessarily mean truck driver. A local would also know to look in the vicinity of the truck stop for hitchhikers / prostitutes. I had originally wondered if Blairstown had the closest hotel to rte 80 back in 1982.
How does the notion that she was sighted prior to being murdered in the A&P? Meaning, she would not have been picked up at the truck stop and then murdered soon after if she had been seen during the day at the A&P.
Also, I thought it was written somewhere that they either found a chunk of rock / granite that the killer had used? Maybe I am confusing details with another case?
I had one more thought. Suppose she traveled to Blairstown in some manner, either with a friend / travelling companion or someone she met at the truck stop on the night before she was sighted at the A&P. Either that night or the next day her companion leaves her in Blairstown. Later, on the night the witness sights her, she encounters the killer.
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I agree that she wasn't necessarily a prostitute, but she definitely wasn't local. And I don't know whether the sighting at the A&P was confirmed.

As far as I know, they never found a weapon or a place that was definitively determined to be a crime scene (other than the location of her body).
 
rob525 said:
I had though she was possibly strangled elsewhere and the killer though she was dead. When he arrived at the cemetery to dump her into the ravine, he realized she was still alive, which sent him into a rage and/or panic.
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Interesting point. I was looking at the weather data for this period, and there was almost 2" of rain on 7/12/82, so possibly any blood evidence at the scene could have been washed away.
 
Every time I drive by that cemetery, I always think of this young woman. Every single time. It was very sad for our area. Rt 80 in this area is always busy in the summer months. New York plates drive west to PA. for all the pocono beauty on a Friday and Saturday, then east on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. The truck stop is large for the area and has a quiet semi truck spot to a quiet side. A young girl was kidnapped and murdered there. She was so brave and ran for help to a truck driver after she was stabbed. She passed soon after and her killer has been behind bars. Horrible crime. All I can think is three things. One, there is a regular vacation commute to family cabins in the Poconos. Also the federal parks are huge tourist draws for the forests and waterfalls. Second, that exit is right by the huge wonder of the Rroute 80 Water Gap, it is just amazing. Imagine when the first Native Americans saw this wonder of the world. A beautiful waterway in between two enormous mountains. Pocono is a Lenape word, I believe, for "water between two mountains." Right after you drive east to west through this amazing gap, there are toll booths on that side, no tolls on the west to east side. Two, If you had someone in the car that you were worried a booth operator would see, you would take one of the exits before the Pa gap I would think. There is another toll booth on a bridge in Columbia on the south side of 80 near the gap, so you might choose to take that exit for 94 North. After the exit ramp past the truckstop, 94 is very quiet. The cemetery to me always comes up quickly, as a spot off the main drag. Three, if you came from the PA side into NJ, the Gap is also a little nerve wracking to me. You might pull off at the 94 exit after going through tight mountains and over a tight bridge with huge trucks. Especially at night or in the rain. Anyway, that section of 80 is a memory you don't forget. You would remember it and it's nearby exits IMO.
 
@Wild Rose ~ the young woman that you are thinking of is Deirdre O'Brien, she was kidnapped from Washington Valley Road only 2 miles from her home in Mendham. James J. Koedatich drove her to the rest area on Route 80 in Allamuchy (not the truck stop in Columbia) where he took her into the woods and stabbed her multiple times. Deirdre did in fact make her way to a truck parked there, banging on his door for help before she succumbed to her injuries. This was two weeks after he brutally kidnapped/murdered Amie Hoffman from Morris County Mall, she was later found in Randolph.

James J. Koedatich was mentioned up thread as possibly being involved in the Princess Doe murder, but he was still incarcerated in Raiford Prison when she was found murdered. He had only been out of prison for a few months when he committed these two brutal homicides.
 
You are certainly right about the view through there. I drive through that section of Route 80 regularly and often think how amazing the scenery is. Sadly so many people think of NJ as the Turnpike near the Airport and never get to see the beauty of it.

Never thought of the possibility that it was someone going through the area to one of the campgrounds or Pocono places. Many, Many people have regular sites they rent or cabins up there. Good thought.
 
@JrztGirl70 wow I always thought it was at that truck stop. Deidre O'Brien was so loved and met evil. Just a young woman working...her family has been a tower of strength. Princess Doe's crime has bothered many people also. So young.
 
Wild Rose said:
Every time I drive by that cemetery, I always think of this young woman. Every single time. It was very sad for our area. Rt 80 in this area is always busy in the summer months. New York plates drive west to PA. for all the pocono beauty on a Friday and Saturday, then east on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. The truck stop is large for the area and has a quiet semi truck spot to a quiet side. A young girl was kidnapped and murdered there. She was so brave and ran for help to a truck driver after she was stabbed. She passed soon after and her killer has been behind bars. Horrible crime. All I can think is three things. One, there is a regular vacation commute to family cabins in the Poconos. Also the federal parks are huge tourist draws for the forests and waterfalls. Second, that exit is right by the huge wonder of the Rroute 80 Water Gap, it is just amazing. Imagine when the first Native Americans saw this wonder of the world. A beautiful waterway in between two enormous mountains. Pocono is a Lenape word, I believe, for "water between two mountains." Right after you drive east to west through this amazing gap, there are toll booths on that side, no tolls on the west to east side. Two, If you had someone in the car that you were worried a booth operator would see, you would take one of the exits before the Pa gap I would think. There is another toll booth on a bridge in Columbia on the south side of 80 near the gap, so you might choose to take that exit for 94 North. After the exit ramp past the truckstop, 94 is very quiet. The cemetery to me always comes up quickly, as a spot off the main drag. Three, if you came from the PA side into NJ, the Gap is also a little nerve wracking to me. You might pull off at the 94 exit after going through tight mountains and over a tight bridge with huge trucks. Especially at night or in the rain. Anyway, that section of 80 is a memory you don't forget. You would remember it and it's nearby exits IMO.
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Were the toll booths there in the early 1980's? (I'm just a few years too young to remember.) ;)
 
JrzyGirl70 said:
You are certainly right about the view through there. I drive through that section of Route 80 regularly and often think how amazing the scenery is. Sadly so many people think of NJ as the Turnpike near the Airport and never get to see the beauty of it.

Never thought of the possibility that it was someone going through the area to one of the campgrounds or Pocono places. Many, Many people have regular sites they rent or cabins up there. Good thought.
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But was there that much tourism in the Poconos in 1982? (There may have been. I'm truly not sure.)
 
NJEverCurious said:
Were the toll booths there in the early 1980's? (I'm just a few years too young to remember.) ;)
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yes, i'm pretty sure they were there.

NJEverCurious said:
But was there that much tourism in the Poconos in 1982? (There may have been. I'm truly not sure.)
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probably on a smaller scale than today, but 80 was certainly still an artery and people were perhaps more so into outdoor recreation. canoeing and boating on the delaware has alwasy been popular especially in the summer. i don't know about vacationing in the poconos proper so much. but it would be interesting to know what day of the week princess doe was placed in the cemetery. not a lot of tourism/recreation going on there in the middle of the week, even in summer.
 
Wild Rose said:
@JrztGirl70 wow I always thought it was at that truck stop. Deidre O'Brien was so loved and met evil. Just a young woman working...her family has been a tower of strength. Princess Doe's crime has bothered many people also. So young.
Click to expand...

One of the scariest moments I ever had was walking through the Courthouse one day, when JK was being transported to court for a hearing, just being in his presence was enough to send chills down my spine and leave a lasting impression
 
NJEverCurious said:
But was there that much tourism in the Poconos in 1982? (There may have been. I'm truly not sure.)
Click to expand...
Oh sure back in the day, I remember my parents and their friends would go up there to the resorts Penn Hills, Cove Haven, there were a bunch of them. I think most of them are abandoned now.
 
JrzyGirl70 said:
@Wild Rose ~ the young woman that you are thinking of is Deirdre O'Brien, she was kidnapped from Washington Valley Road only 2 miles from her home in Mendham. James J. Koedatich drove her to the rest area on Route 80 in Allamuchy (not the truck stop in Columbia) where he took her into the woods and stabbed her multiple times. Deirdre did in fact make her way to a truck parked there, banging on his door for help before she succumbed to her injuries. This was two weeks after he brutally kidnapped/murdered Amie Hoffman from Morris County Mall, she was later found in Randolph.

James J. Koedatich was mentioned up thread as possibly being involved in the Princess Doe murder, but he was still incarcerated in Raiford Prison when she was found murdered. He had only been out of prison for a few months when he committed these two brutal homicides.
Click to expand...

Is it know what became of his request to have his DNA tested in the first murder? The request seemingly was granted in October of 2018.
Also, I was watching a show on ID about a crime that went unsolved for 30 years(?) I believe. Because, law enforcement believed that the most obvious suspects were incarcerated when the crime occurred, they were not and it took all that time to discover the mistake. Point being, I hope LE did their due diligence and ensured that his guy was definitely locked up at the time this crime occurred.
 
rob525 said:
Is it know what became of his request to have his DNA tested in the first murder? The request seemingly was granted in October of 2018.
Also, I was watching a show on ID about a crime that went unsolved for 30 years(?) I believe. Because, law enforcement believed that the most obvious suspects were incarcerated when the crime occurred, they were not and it took all that time to discover the mistake. Point being, I hope LE did their due diligence and ensured that his guy was definitely locked up at the time this crime occurred.
Click to expand...
I remember reading about it at the time. I believe Dierdre's father has passed. I remember articles with community and LE very supportive of this family. I believe there is a memorial in her name for crime victims in Morristown I think.
 
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