Jennifer Lynn Fay was 16 years old when she went missing on November 14, 1989 from Brockton, Massachusetts. She was supposed to baby sit her siblings but decided to go to a party with her friends. At first, she took her little brother with her, but went back to her residence at 9:30-9:45 PM to retrieve a sweater, then got her cousin to watch the kids. Her cousin arrived at Jennifer's house around 10:00 PM.
Jennifer left her residence to go to a party on Emerson Avenue.
Initially, reports state that Jennifer went to a friend's house near her own. Her friend's mother answered the door and refused to let her in because she seemed slightly incapacitated and smelled of liquor. Her friend's mother also noticed Jennifer was accompanied by a male friend at the time.
Jennifer left her friend's house to go to a convenience store with a teenage male friend at the end of the street that Jennifer lived on, less than a minute away from her home. The male friend felt sick and left when she was still inside. Jennifer hasn't been heard from since. It's reported that she was in high spirits at the time she disappeared. Her friend, who was the last person to reportedly see her, was cleared as a suspect.
Initially, reports state that Jennifer went to a friend's house near her own. Her friend's mother answered the door and refused to let her in because she seemed slightly incapacitated and smelled of liquor. Her friend's mother also noticed Jennifer was accompanied by a male friend at the time.
Jennifer left her friend's house to go to a convenience store with a teenage male friend at the end of the street that Jennifer lived on, less than a minute away from her home. The male friend felt sick and left when she was still inside. Jennifer hasn't been heard from since. It's reported that she was in high spirits at the time she disappeared. Her friend, who was the last person to reportedly see her, was cleared as a suspect.
Jennifer's friends did not seem to be the best crowd, and have been uncooperative in the investigation. For awhile, police said Jennifer was a runaway. Recently, her case has been reopened and police now suspect foul play, and do not think Jennifer was a runaway at all. Police recently believed that Jennifer's remains are buried in a nearby town.
In 2003, a tip was given saying that Jennifer was murdered and her body was placed in the trunk of a car and dumped in a pond, just minutes away from her home. Police searched the pond and found nothing.
Jennifer vanished after a night out with friends, last sighted at a convenience store. (Image Credits: CharleyProject.org)
In 2003, a tip was given saying that Jennifer was murdered and her body was placed in the trunk of a car and dumped in a pond, just minutes away from her home. Police searched the pond and found nothing.
Jennifer was sixteen when she went missing, but would be 37 years old today. She weighed 100 lbs. and was 5'4" when she vanished. She had a scar above her left eyebrow and her teeth are crowded at the front of her mouth. Jennifer had blond hair and blue eyes, and her nickname was Jen. She was wearing a purple blouse, a black silk jacket with an Iron Maiden patch, dungarees and white sneakers.
In 2008, investigators reopened Jennifer's case as a non-family abduction, due to another Massachusetts teen vanished under circumstances similar to how Jennifer vanished. It seems that when teenagers are classified as runaways, police seem to shrug off the case, which is not right, regardless.
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| In 2008, another missing Massachusetts team sparked investigators to take another look at Jennifer's disappearance as an abductee. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org) |
I wonder if the clerk of the convenience store was interviewed, since they would have been the last person to initially see her, but my searches about the clerk turned up nothing. It is possible that she was a little drunk, and fell into the wrong hands that night. If she was happy at the time she went missing, it is hard to believe she ran away, especially since she was last seen alone. I believe there would have been reported sightings of her if she did, because she has unique features.
It is questionable why her friends are uncooperative, as you'd think they'd want their friend to be found. I hope the new private investigators interview them once more. Maybe they know more than they're saying.
Although Jennifer was a happy, social person in 1989, her friends were involved with drugs and other illegal activities at the time. I have read theories saying she left with someone she knew and trusted, then later was harmed. The motive of the person could have been anything under the sun, but I wonder if drugs or illegal activity Jennifer may have known about was a reason for her disappearance. I wonder if she was taken because she was seen as a threat? Did partying go wrong, leading to a cover up? And what about the other missing Massachusetts teen, who sparked a new outlook in Jennifer's case as an abductee instead of a runaway? How may she be connected, and does this mean they both knew someone who could have done this, or do we have a serial killer on the lose?
With the thought of another missing teen helping Jennifer's case open again, I was curious which case could be related to Jennifer's, in the case that she was taken by someone she did not know well.
I searched Massachusetts missing females, from 1980s-2008. The first case that came up that show many similarities to Jennifer's was that of 16 year-old Catherine Malcolmson, missing from Stow, Massachusetts. On August 13, 1985, Catherine was last seen riding her bike to work. She worked part time at a supermarket called IGA two miles away from her home in Hudson. She was very excited that day because she had a party to attend after work. She never made it there and has not been seen since. Like Jennifer's case, authorities thought she was a runaway at first, which set back the investigation for a suspect. In 1987, her bike was found off Route 62, which was her route to work. Murderer John Robert Whirty is thought to be involved in Catherine's disappearance, and in the murder of a young girl named Sarah Pryor. However, there has been no evidence to link him to either crimes.
The second case was of 14 year-old Melanie Jo Melanson from Woburn, Massachusetts. It was October 27, 1989 when Melanie and a friend left their high school and walked home. She told her grandmother she was sleeping over at a friend's house, but what her grandmother did not know was Melanie was attending at a party in the industrial park a mile from her home. The party lasted into the early hours of Saturday, and Melanie was the last girl there, with two other boys. The boys gave conflicting information, but were not charged in her disappearance.
Like Catherine and Jennifer, police at first thought Melanie ran away, more specifically to Florida. Her family says she was happy at the time of her disappearance: Halloween was around the corner, she was getting her braces off and her birthday was coming up. Police believe she is a victim of foul play and may still be in the wooded area.
All three girls vanished with a party to attend that day. Melanie and Jennifer both were 14, too young to be at parties, but at that curious age where it was hard to resist. All three cases have similarities, yet if they knew their abductor, they would all be unrelated. The big question is, were they taken by someone they knew, or was someone stalking young kids at parties late at night, waiting for a chance to catch one alone?
There are so many questions, and I give a lot of credit to her mother who is leading the search for her daughter. It's marvelous to see someone with so much hope for her daughter after all these years. Her mother runs the Jennifer Lynn Fay Foundation aimed at keeping Jennifer's case alive, and advocating for missing children. I pray that her friends will cooperate and come clean about what they know, 24 years later. That is a long time to let her family experience this unspeakable grief.
It is questionable why her friends are uncooperative, as you'd think they'd want their friend to be found. I hope the new private investigators interview them once more. Maybe they know more than they're saying.
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| At the time of her disappearance, Jennifer was described as very sociable and happy (Image Credit: CharleyProject.org) |
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| Catherine Malcolmson was last seen riding her bike to work. She was excited because she had a party to attend later that night. (Photo Credit: CharleyProject.org) |
I searched Massachusetts missing females, from 1980s-2008. The first case that came up that show many similarities to Jennifer's was that of 16 year-old Catherine Malcolmson, missing from Stow, Massachusetts. On August 13, 1985, Catherine was last seen riding her bike to work. She worked part time at a supermarket called IGA two miles away from her home in Hudson. She was very excited that day because she had a party to attend after work. She never made it there and has not been seen since. Like Jennifer's case, authorities thought she was a runaway at first, which set back the investigation for a suspect. In 1987, her bike was found off Route 62, which was her route to work. Murderer John Robert Whirty is thought to be involved in Catherine's disappearance, and in the murder of a young girl named Sarah Pryor. However, there has been no evidence to link him to either crimes.
Melanie Melanson was 14 years old when she snuck out to a party and vanished. (Photo Credit: Charley Project)
The second case was of 14 year-old Melanie Jo Melanson from Woburn, Massachusetts. It was October 27, 1989 when Melanie and a friend left their high school and walked home. She told her grandmother she was sleeping over at a friend's house, but what her grandmother did not know was Melanie was attending at a party in the industrial park a mile from her home. The party lasted into the early hours of Saturday, and Melanie was the last girl there, with two other boys. The boys gave conflicting information, but were not charged in her disappearance.
Like Catherine and Jennifer, police at first thought Melanie ran away, more specifically to Florida. Her family says she was happy at the time of her disappearance: Halloween was around the corner, she was getting her braces off and her birthday was coming up. Police believe she is a victim of foul play and may still be in the wooded area.
All three girls vanished with a party to attend that day. Melanie and Jennifer both were 14, too young to be at parties, but at that curious age where it was hard to resist. All three cases have similarities, yet if they knew their abductor, they would all be unrelated. The big question is, were they taken by someone they knew, or was someone stalking young kids at parties late at night, waiting for a chance to catch one alone?
**Update:
According to a news article on WCVB.com, new witnesses have finally come forward with information that may help investigators paint a clearer picture of what happened the night of Jennifer's disappearance. Investigators say that they have received frequent tips throughout the investigation, but none ever as promising as the newest leads. In fact, four more witnesses, all of various ages, have come forward with information. They are optimistic that there will be answers in the near future. There are so many questions, and I give a lot of credit to her mother who is leading the search for her daughter. It's marvelous to see someone with so much hope for her daughter after all these years. Her mother runs the Jennifer Lynn Fay Foundation aimed at keeping Jennifer's case alive, and advocating for missing children. I pray that her friends will cooperate and come clean about what they know, 24 years later. That is a long time to let her family experience this unspeakable grief.
Please visit sources below to see more pics of Jennifer Fay. A reward is being offered to anyone who gives a tip that leads to her.
If you have any information in the disappearance of Jennifer Lynn Fay, please contact:
If you have any information in the disappearance of Jennifer Lynn Fay, please contact:
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| An updated age progression of what Jennifer may look like today, from CharleyProject.org. |
Police Information:
Brockton Police Department
508-941-0200
If you have any information on the disappearance of Melanie Jo Melanson, please contact:
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| Age progression of Melanie Melanson, from CharleyProject.org. Police Information Woburn Police Department 781-933-1212 |
If you have any information in the disappearance of Catherine Malcolmson, please contact:
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| Age progression of Catherine Malcolmson, from CharleyProject.org Police Information: Stow Police Department 978-897-4545 |
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/vanished-melanie-melanson-20-years/story?id=8927393
http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-south/new-info-offers-renewed-hope-in-1989-missing-teen-case/-/9848842/23864008/-/19g2qmz/-/index.html
http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-south/new-info-offers-renewed-hope-in-1989-missing-teen-case/-/9848842/23864008/-/19g2qmz/-/index.html
"Jennifer's friends did not seem to be the best crowd, and have been uncooperative in the investigation."
ReplyDeleteOf course. Her story practically writes itself. Girl intoxicated, girl taken advantage of, girl killed, girl dumped, friends keep mouths shut.
I find it absolutely frightening the situations that teen girls/young women will place themselves in just to "have a good time". I'm including myself in that BTW. I look back on my high school and college years and realize how easy I could've become a statistic.
I was mature...I was smart...but so are a lot of others. I think a LOT of these tragedies simply boil down to bad luck and "wrong place, wrong time".
I witnessed a lot of crazy stuff in college but one incident always stuck with me. It was during one of my friends and I amusement park trips. Later that night(we were on cocaine) we somehow wound up at this party on a lake. Started drinking and before you know it, there's a bunch of people at this party. Some of them gave me the creeps. Anyways, there was this one girl who looked like she shouldn't be there. She didn't really fit in with the people here. It made her standout. She seemed a bit shy and unsure of herself. She started drinking. She started acting off a little bit and I was telling a couple of my friends about her and to look over there, Mindy simply said, "stay out of it".
That girl was quickly showing up on the radar of the guys there. About 20-30 minutes later we decided to leave. I decided to go up to that girl and see if she was ok, needed help, or wanted a ride home. She told me to F off. A few people laughed and I just turned around and my friends and I got the hell out of there.
I'll always feel bad for leaving her there. Yes she was drunk and not in any position to be making smart decisions but I didn't know her. Not family, not a friend, so there were really no obligations. I should've talked to her BEFORE she started drinking. She didn't belong there.
Only reason I tell that story is young women are in these situations every day. usually they turn out ok...but sometimes they don't.
Any time I read about a case and it mentions a teen girl and a party, even though I don't KNOW exactly what happened, I know what happened.
They weren't taken by serial killers, stalkers, etc. They were likely raped and murdered by friends or at least people traveling in the same circle of friends.
This is likely what happened to Jennifer.
Since I'm on the subject of personal experiences and how I relate it to crime stories, here's another one...
ReplyDeleteIn college I had a lot of friends but mainly stuck to a specific group. This one guy would hover around our group and sometimes involve himself in our activities. I also realized fairly quickly he had the hots for me. I noticed a pattern fairly quickly...he would attempt to get near me in these activities and on several occasions, tried to get me alone.
He was socially awkward. I didn't like him at all. I let my friends know to never leave me in a position where I'd be alone with this guy. They didn't let me down, thank God. He put out really strange vibes.
He eventually vanished from our circle and when I hear stories of girls getting murdered by guys who are so called friends, I picture this guy doing something to me as it could've so easily had that sort of ending.
Another incident was sophomore year and I met a guy in Sociology class who I had to study with. I thought he was attractive and things were ok and maybe going in the direction of something...until I went to his house. He lived with his mother and when I saw the two of them talking to each other I got weird vibes. I immediately came up with an excuse to leave. Two days later in class, I told our instructor that I wasn't working with him anymore and if it was going to be a problem, I'd drop the class. That guy came up to me later that day and I was blunt...told him I wasn't talking to him anymore and if he so much as looked at me again I was calling my brother and that my brother was the last person he wanted to have a problem with. He never spoke to me again.
To any young women reading this blog, ALWAYS trust your instincts. They're never wrong.