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

New Posts

Since it's been over a year to the day of the last post (what coincidence I just happened to stumble upon it today!) I will add a few things.
First, I noticed there were no replies posted from Cotta to the previous users after a certain date. Did anyone get private message replies? I would be interested in knowing what Jan wrote about the father of the baby in her letter to God. Did it sound like perhaps she was considering terminating her pregnancy? Roe v Wade had just been decided earlier that year, and she was on the cusp of being in the third trimester, depending on which source you refer to (some say 5-7 months while others say she was due in August?). If she were that close to her due date and considering a late term abortion, a regular doctor would have probably refused to perform it. So, it most likely would have been a back alley one, hence her departure. If it were botched, that could explain why she never returned as she may have died from it.
One question I may be able to answer was from one of the original news articles I found. Jan's sister reported that she recognized the car that was seen driving away and that it belonged to one of her friends, but that friend wasn't talking. I also gathered from the article that none of her friends weren't/still haven't been very communicative.
I have to agree with some of the other posters on here in that Jan left voluntarily, based on what I read. Perhaps she didn't lose touch voluntarily or plan to stay away, maybe she was only going for coffee, but for some reason, never returned. I think she was waiting for a ride when her brother and his friend spotted her. No way a pregnant woman would be up that late without a good reason LOL. Also, someone mentioned her weight. Every pregnant woman is different. How she carries her pregnancy depends on nutrition and build. I was huge at 5 months because of a fibroid tumor. One of the nurses at the clinic who was due a week before me wore maternity clothes so people would know she was pregnant. She had no belly at all because she had been really sick. Our weights and shapes were different because our pregnancies were different, even though we were only a week apart. I felt like a whale next to her.
Anyway, hope this update helps, and if Cotta still checks these, will you please fill us in on updates you might be able to share that may have developed over the past year?
Thanks!
 
Wait, why do you say her parents knew she was pregnant and then you say she didn't name the dad. That doesn't make sense.
 
At 19, she was a legal adult, so I suppose nobody could force her to reveal the dad's identity. I would have thought close friends might know or suspect who the father was. Being involved in riding competitions, going to training schools, and giving riding lessons, she would have been in contact with probably a lot of males of all ages. Maybe he was a married man who promised to run away with her and then did away with her instead. I don't like to suggest this possibility, but was it possible she wasn't certain of the dad's identity? For instance, maybe she had dated two different guys in the last month or two before she knew she was pregnant. I'm not in any way judging her if she did. This was the 70s, after all, and she was a grown woman able to make her own decisions.
 
dogperson said:
At 19, she was a legal adult, so I suppose nobody could force her to reveal the dad's identity. I would have thought close friends might know or suspect who the father was. Being involved in riding competitions, going to training schools, and giving riding lessons, she would have been in contact with probably a lot of males of all ages. Maybe he was a married man who promised to run away with her and then did away with her instead. I don't like to suggest this possibility, but was it possible she wasn't certain of the dad's identity? For instance, maybe she had dated two different guys in the last month or two before she knew she was pregnant. I'm not in any way judging her if she did. This was the 70s, after all, and she was a grown woman able to make her own decisions.
Click to expand...

I think it's possible that her friends might have had an idea who the father might have been, but they're not talking. It makes me wonder if that's why they want to talk to that Eric, maybe he was involved with her? He was 40ish at the time so he would be in his 80s now. I suppose it's possible she didn't know who the father was, either, if she were involved with more than one person. I think part of the family's frustration is that none of her friends are talking, after all this time, and her sister knew whose car she got into that night. I don't think that person is a suspect, but they may have helped her.
Based on the fact that she had her purse with her in the barn at around midnight, I think she had planned this outing. I'm not saying she planned on taking off good, only that she knew she was going out, which she could do, because she was an adult even if still living at home.
 
I asked in the Wall Alumni group if anyone had heard rumors or any information on the case. I think a few of the members there are her family. ( I actually think one of the teachers at my daughter's day care is also a family member. I just haven't gotten up the nerve to ask.) Everyone in this area knows everyone else, so I figured that would be a good place to ask around.
 
dogperson said:
At 19, she was a legal adult, so I suppose nobody could force her to reveal the dad's identity. I would have thought close friends might know or suspect who the father was. Being involved in riding competitions, going to training schools, and giving riding lessons, she would have been in contact with probably a lot of males of all ages. Maybe he was a married man who promised to run away with her and then did away with her instead. I don't like to suggest this possibility, but was it possible she wasn't certain of the dad's identity? For instance, maybe she had dated two different guys in the last month or two before she knew she was pregnant. I'm not in any way judging her if she did. This was the 70s, after all, and she was a grown woman able to make her own decisions.
Click to expand...

This may sound stupid, but bear with me for a moment-I wonder if, legally, one was considered an adult at the age of 19? I think it was some time in the '70s when you became an adult legally at the age of 18-it was in the '70s when you could vote at the age of 18 (prior to that, you had To be 21). This was true for signing a contract, too. I suppose I am nitpicking, but I don't think Jan was considered an adult in 1973, at the age of 19. In any event, that may have nothing to do with her disappearance, and has nothing at all to do with the possibility that she may have had more than one prospect for the father of her unborn child. She may very well have had more than one boyfriend (not judging, either...). For some reason, I doubt it-no good reason to think this, except that it is more common to have only one. Plus, the cold case detective wants to talk to this Eric Shore, and doesn't know where to find him-I guess he thinks this guy might have been the father.

Edit-turns out the voting age was ratified in 1971-
 
I found an 82 year old Eric Shore on spoken who now lives in Bala Cynwyd, PA. I wonder if I should forward that info to the detective.
 
KaylaraOwl said:
I asked in the Wall Alumni group if anyone had heard rumors or any information on the case. I think a few of the members there are her family. ( I actually think one of the teachers at my daughter's day care is also a family member. I just haven't gotten up the nerve to ask.) Everyone in this area knows everyone else, so I figured that would be a good place to ask around.
Click to expand...

That was a great idea!
 
KaylaraOwl said:
I found an 82 year old Eric Shore on spoken who now lives in Bala Cynwyd, PA. I wonder if I should forward that info to the detective.
Click to expand...

Couldn't hurt to pass it along. They weren't sure how to spell his name. I was thinking Schorr is another possible spelling, too.
 
Ok, update of sorts. The teacher at my daughter's preschool is in fact related to Jan Cotta. We spoke this morning. Unfortunately, not too much new. Although she did say thank you to everyone here and asked me to let her know if we find out anything. Oh, the other bit of information was that the barn she was last seen at was where she lived. She basically had an apartment in the tack room, so seeing her by it at that time of night wouldn't have been unusual.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 198 more.
Total: 4,542 (members: 199, guests: 4,343)

Online statistics

Members online
199
Guests online
4,343
Total visitors
4,542
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
593,809
Messages
17,993,161
Members
229,245
Latest member
Daisy102502
Back
Top