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

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Jan Andre Cotta disappeared on a quiet Tuesday evening on June 26, 1973 at her home on Ridgewood Avenue in Wall Township, New Jersey. The nineteen year old girl was last seen at the family's barn tack house at approximately 11:30 that evening by her brother and a friend. Cotta had been involved with the 4-H Club and had been elected in 1971 as the vice-president of the Jumping Brook Riders 4-H Club. She loved horses and gave riding lessons at her family home. At the time of her disappearance, Cotta had been five to seven months pregnant. Though the father's identity is unknown, Cotta had mentioned the baby's father, though had not identified him, in a letter that she had written to God. In the same letter, she had said she was going to give three of her favorite horses to a friend. In August of 1973, a newborn baby was found abandoned in a mailbox at a horse farm in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. This farm belonged to the friend that Cotta had mentioned about giving the horses to. Due to the circumstances, there was immediate speculation that the child was Cotta's, but later DNA tests disproved it. Cotta has never been found.

Today in New Jersey History
 
2sisters said:
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.
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It is most likely that she was not happy, it is not that I believe it but I have the impression that the guy who got her pregnant escaped because he had many physical defects a drooping eye teeth in bad condition a deafness in one ear ... I don't know maybe He took her himself and as it is not known who the father is, it is even more difficult to know the truth
 
s KaylaraOwl still a member? I don't see any follow up as to the adopted man who gave his DNA.
 
mere said:
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?
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According to this Wikipedia article Richard Biegenwald - Wikipedia we can rule him out, he was in prision.
(...) on December 18, 1958, Biegenwald robbed a grocery store with accomplice Frank Spardoff (possibly "Sparnroft"), shooting and killing the proprietor, Stephen Sladowski, an attorney and prosecutor. Biegenwald fled the state after the murder, but was captured two days later in Salisbury, Maryland, after a shooting involving police. Biegenwald was extradited to New Jersey, where he was convicted of murder and given a life sentence. Biegenwald was released in 1975 for good behavior after 17 years imprisonment.

I would like why LE considered Eric Shore/Shaw as a person of interest. Did they have any witness who placed him there? Was he related to Jan somehow?

Was Robert Zarinsky ever considered as a potential suspect? Robert Zarinsky - Wikipedia

New Jersey had quite of a number of crimes during those decades: Cases New Jersey Girl Murders 1960-1980
 
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Diane Redfern said:
According to this Wikipedia article Richard Biegenwald - Wikipedia we can rule him out, he was in prision.
(...) on December 18, 1958, Biegenwald robbed a grocery store with accomplice Frank Spardoff (possibly "Sparnroft"), shooting and killing the proprietor, Stephen Sladowski, an attorney and prosecutor. Biegenwald fled the state after the murder, but was captured two days later in Salisbury, Maryland, after a shooting involving police. Biegenwald was extradited to New Jersey, where he was convicted of murder and given a life sentence. Biegenwald was released in 1975 for good behavior after 17 years imprisonment.

I would like why LE considered Eric Shore/Shaw as a person of interest. Did they have any witness who placed him there? Was he related to Jan somehow?

Was Robert Zarinsky ever considered as a potential suspect? Robert Zarinsky - Wikipedia

New Jersey had quite of a number of crimes during those decades: Cases New Jersey Girl Murders 1960-1980
Click to expand...
The Eric Shore/Shaw interest is really intriguing. I wish we knew more.My husband works in Wall NJ. We were born many years after Jan went missing but this case is haunting.
 
Wicked Deeds Podcast released an episode about Jan's disappearance


Today we’ll be discussing the case of a young woman that had a fierce passion for horseback riding, who, after entering an acquaintance’s vehicle one night, was never seen or heard from again. The circumstances surrounding her case became more and more bizarre as the years went on and more information became available to the public. With that new information, authorities have finally named one person in particular they’re interested in speaking with, who may be able to answer some very important questions.
 
I don’t know much about this case, but there are a few things that cross my mind.

Who was the “friend” that was to receive Jan’s 3 horses?

This same friend ends up with a baby girl dropped off in her mailbox.

Could this girl have been jealous of Jan and been responsible for her disappearance?

Could Jan have been pregnant by this girl’s boyfriend?

Was it ever confirmed that Jan actually wrote the letter “to God”? Or could this “friend” have written the letter (or coerced her to write) the letter?
 
One more thing, my daughter is a passionate horse girl - just like Jan has been described as. She has lived and breathed everything horse since she was 17 months old. Whenever things get stressful for her - family, friends, boyfriends, school, money, etc - the first place she goes is the barn and her horse.

Never in a million years would my daughter even think of walking away from her horse and her barn life.

NEVER!!
 
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