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| Photo Credit: Charley Project.org |
Later on, a vehicle was heard driving away from the residence. Afterwards, Jan Cotta was missing, and has not been seen since. Most importantly, she was 5 to 7 months pregnant at the time she vanished.
In 1973, the Cotta property was located in a very rural area, located on Ridgewood Road. Jan had moved to Wall Township with her family years earlier from Spring Lake Heights, and was flourishing in the new move. She had a passion for animals, especially horses. Her family grew up on a horse farm, and she grew up to be an avid equestrian, who had leadership roles in a 4-H Club she joined in 1971 after her family's move to Wall Township. Jan also took riding classes in Leesburg, Virgina at Morven Park International Equestrian Institute. This institute was a very big deal and still operates as a riding school as of 2013. ($20.00 for a riding session now.) It opened to the public in 1967 as a riding school, and as of today has 1,000 acres of open land for what Jan loved the most-horseback riding. She also took classes at Princeton Riding Academy. She was a typical teenager with a free spirit, and did not drink or do drugs at the time of her disappearance. Her loved ones have not heard from her since June 26, 1973, which is very uncharacteristic of her. She had a good relationship with her family, and had no prior incidences of running away.
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| Census Bureau map of Wall Township, NJ, where Jan Cotta moved to with her family years before her disappearance. |
Some have speculated that Jan's name was misspelled, and was actually Jane Andrea Cotta (which is a possible alias), but it is in fact Jan Andre Cotta, with Andre coming from her grandfather. She has brown hair and blue eyes. She had measles as a child, and acquired a hearing loss as a result, but overcame her deafness. She has a lazy eye that droops when she gets tired or if it is cold out. Jan had also previously fractured her left wrist and left lower arm that occurred when she fell from a horse at 17-18 years old.
Jan also has a mole on her lower right cheek, which can be seen in her photo. Her left foot turns inwards when she is tired because she has club foot. In 1973, Jan had no dental work, so her teeth were in poor condition. She also has asthma and possibly epilepsy. At the time she vanished, she was 5-7 months pregnant. Jan was 5'4" and her weight was estimated to be 118-125 pounds.
Jan was also last seen wearing a white shirt with a blue design, blue Land Lubbers jeans, brown loafers (popular back then), a gold ring set with blue topaz birth stone and 2 diamonds, along with a plain gold ring with the initials "JAC". She was also carrying a round tweed purse at the time of her disappearance.
According to Charleyproject.org, Jan had written a letter to God prior to her disappearance. The letter referred to the father of her child, although it did not tell his name, and also talked about giving three of her favorite horses to a friend.
In August of 1973, a new mystery would open up when a newborn baby was found abandoned by a mailbox in Jefferson Township, NJ. Coincidentally, this was at the location of the horse farm that was owned by the friend Jan gave her three favorite horses to. With the child also arriving around the time Jan was due, it was questioned whether or not this child was hers. Further investigation with DNA tests revealed the child was not Jan Cotta's. (I am not sure if the person who left the child was ever caught, as more information about that situation has been difficult to find. Hopefully, the child went to a wonderful family.)
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| Jan had a passion for horses and would raise, ride and show them. She had taken riding classes at Morven Park International Equesterian Center in Virginia. |
I know a lot cannot be said about persons of interests of the case because it is an ongoing investigation, but the obvious person that would have some knowledge about more of the timeline of that summer night would be the person who drove up the drive way that night. Being the barn was located at the rear of the property and they did not reportedly go to the house looking for her, it is very probable they knew she would be in the barn. (Perhaps saying goodbye to her horses, which were her pride and joy?)
Some questions I draw up are was this person her friend? Father of the child? How was her relationship with the father? Have these people been cooperative with the investigation, or take a polygraph test so LE can further move on to other aspects in this case? Did Jan have a journal or anything that would further explain her plan to leave? Did she ever hitch hike? Were any of her belongings missing?
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| Edna Thorne vanished from a horse stable two years after Jan did, an hour and fifteen minutes away from the Cotta residence. (Photo Credit: Charley Project.org) |
As of date, there has been no arrests have been made in connection with her disappearance. Of course, there is always the chance of an unknown assailant taking Jan, but I feel that is unlikely, just because Jan lived in a rural area at the time. Unless she had a stalker, it would not makes sense that an unknown assailant could have come a long and taken her from the barn. I also researched all the different serial killers active during the late '60s and '70s in the Northeastern area of the United States, and there are none that would match up with Jan's timeline. I think the theory of Jan not being able to contact her family because of someone she knew is a more logical outlook.
The investigation into Jan's disappearance has been followed up on during the '80s and the '90s, and is currently an open investigation. This may be a cold case, but as you read this, I would like to ask you not only to think of how she would be today, but also to think if you have seen her anytime from the summer of 1973-now. Any sightings of her hours after she vanished or even years after can help. May be she was a patient of yours at the doctor's with a child, or a medical history of epilepsy or asthma and clubbed foot. Maybe she was your neighbor or new acquaintance. Or may be you happened to catch a glimpse of someone you now think resembles her.
Jan's parents have passed, but she still has a lot of family looking for answers. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jan Cotta, please take a step forward instead of another step back. Her family has been searching for so long and only want an answer as to what happened to their loved one.
Update as of 7/1/2014
An article ran from NJ.com: True Jersey was recently ran with updates on recent developments in Jan's case. It is still a very active investigation, with authorities following up on leads from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Florida. Advanced technology is being used to compare Jan's genetics to a database called CODIS, which houses the cases of unidentified human remains that have been uncovered for years. They are looking for a match just in case Jan is one of those who have been found, but have not had their identity figured out. There has been much involvement from a variety of organizations. Besides the Wall Township Police Department, the Monmouth Prosecutor's office, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, New Jersey State Police and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have become involved in the search.
Perhaps the most interesting development in the case is a name investigators have released. They are trying to identify and individual by the name of Eric Shore (possibly not the correct spelling). He was 40 years-old at the time of Jan's disappearance, and was from Staten Island or Long Island. His girlfriend at the time was reported to have worked as a hairdresser in Deal. It is unknown why he is a subject of interest, but he seems to hold vital information into the disappearance of Jan Cotta.
If you have ANY information about the disappearance of Jan Andre Cotta, please contact:
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| An age progression of what Jan may look like at age 58. (Photo Credit: Charley Project.org) |
732-449-4500
OR
E-Mail Det. Joseph Wilbert
You CAN remain anonymous! Let's keep Jan's face out there and story alive in hopes of finding answers for Jan's family!
If you have any information on the disappearance of Edna Christine Thorne, please contact:
Philadelphia Police Department
215-685-1173
If you have any information on the disappearance of Edna Christine Thorne, please contact:
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| Edna was 5'1" tall and weighed 105 pounds when she vanished. She has brown hair and brown eyes. (Photo Credit: Charley Project.org) |
215-685-1173
SOURCES:
Star News Group
http://starnewsgroup.com/weekly/2007/03.29.07/pdf/03.29.07.pdfJan's NAMUS case file:
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/5978
Jan's Charley Project Page:
www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/cotta_jan.html
Can the Public Solve a 1973 Mystery?
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...11/1004/NEWS01
America's Most Wanted
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=56702
Morven Park International Equestrian Institute
http://www.morvenpark.com/equestrian_center.php
Edna Thorne
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/thorne_edna.html
Updated Article 7/1/2014: Eric Shore
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2014/06/41_years_later_authorities_still_searching_for_missing_wall_woman.html
Hello, I'm in contact with Jan Cotta's sister in law, and she told me that Jan's belongings were all in the tack house. It was basically like a separate apartment, and she come and go as she pleased. So that would explain how someone knew she would be out there at that time of night.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if her baby was adopted. And I wonder if the baby now an adult, has her DNA on line looking for her Mom. I believe the wrong baby was left there to throw off the investigation team.
ReplyDeletePreface: Please, forgive booboos. I write. NOT a professional.
ReplyDeleteI'd check the entertainment industry, black market, human traffickers, these "fountain of youth hormone replacement" researchers/industries/investers, possibly pediatric medical science researchers, black market organ harvesters, wealthy pedophiles/barren families/families who's pregnancy was nowhere near 280 days - in USA & abroad, as well as, shipping companies.
Also, I'd check to see if there were large events coming up or on the exact day anywhere nearby or not too far away.
Sadly, infant-child human trafficking is a HUGE. Still, it's very likely the players never get out of the game: ESPECIALLY, in Show Biz. This place has harbored cesspools pedophiles & novelty adoptions, child abuse/endangerment - in so many many ways for over 100 years_& still counting - brazenly & without a single repercussion.
Honestly, the vary fact that a national security & budget that could keep affectively sanction Cuban Cigars & shut down the wave of demographically diverse resistance of youth, churches, schools, grass roots orgs, & other participants/supports, then sponsor space programs & many other "advances" AND keep tabs on celebrities/journalists/activists, locate inventions to get/keep secret, right after they're introduced or, possibly, as soon as it hits the Library of Congress, & afford personel/machines/structures in staggering proportions across the globe cannot produce the "man hours" or equipment help feed, nurture, protect, & yes, locate the children here on this land & those who come to this land of pillars, immigrants, slaves, who fund & keep this place alive & functioning by the way, is suspect.
It, especially, shines a bright light on the actual fact that we allow our attention to be swayed to a wall that was never intended to be built while all the other wrongs continue only in a greater way than in all of history.
Sleight of hands. Distractionary device.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteMany minds of the people are truly not focused on our [the world's] children, [the world's] future - who, if fed, nurtured & protected - can help to make the world a better place.
"We" haven't been for some time now. There's no good nor help in blaming the victims. So, what THEN?
It's tricky, I know. But, not so much if people come togetherin places such as this site or face to face & form a "village". Awfully hard to snatch a kid while a group of [hyper?] vigilent pissed-off parents have formed a tightly knit lion-like circle around the most essential precious treasure: the youth.
No small entity can wreak so much havoc with RAISED children all grown up AND on the horizon.
Some might say we SHOULDN'T have to keep our eyes on our kids every second. But, folks, who live where there are tigers & gators & such , would rightly shut that that argument down.
We are dealing with predators, many of whom profit from/feed on children from all demographics. The vast majority of those who make children disappear in the MASS QUANTITIES we see - we must know that more go missing forever than we will ever begin to know (1 roach on counter, 1000 in wall) - simply MUST have a supersized appetite & a means for getting fed.
If we think there are enough Uncle Bobs & Aunt Karens to make all those little precious treasures vanish into thin air with out big funds, we will never find the lost &, most importantly, not lose thos we yet have.
Firstly, we adults must find people with whom we're unfamiliar, quite literally shake a hand, & exchange some simple dialogue to begin the change. I don't mean "wave" on messenger & "share on facebook. They're nice as an expedient or entertainment, when balanced with a health dose of the real thing: "in person".
Just imagine looking into the eyes & touching the hand of a family grieving the loss of a child or a child returning after being abducted h brutalized.
I can see, right now, the desparate nature of many of those who know these people or who realize that this is mighty "close to home". A real threat will be perceived & with enough time & activity together, a real lion circle of [hyper]vigilent adults is WAY more likely to emerge than you might find among uncomfortable "post surfers" with a delete button or a heart button, who just might keep scrolling & like/share a funny meme.
Continued:
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the nonverbals which might warrant a second glance at a familiar or unfamiliar face or car or tattoo is far more notable in person.
But, they can't and shouldn't replace human to human connections & the natural compassion, unity, strength, & safety which will inevitably come about.
There's absolutely no way around getting sick or dealing with folks we don't like, or having confrontations, as these are natural facts of life. There's absolutely no way around coming into contact with others barring living in a bubble with machines to sanitize & import everything.
If we're too afraid of things we might as well fold up the tents, dig a hole, & hop in. We may be safe there or not.
Are we halfway there now. OR! Might we be halfway to getting more folks to find reasons to come together to feed, nurture, protect, AND FIND the lost children.
We owe it to ourselves to step outside the status quo. Who knows? We may find the joy & answers we've been seeking all along begin in our hearts & minds & are matched by all else.
I know this long, but hope you'll read the whole thing & just think about it. If you did read it, I commend your patience thank you.
As 1, let's save the children.
Kim😊