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

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For whatever bittersweet gifts there are regarding this case, what a gift to be poignantly remembered. Raising a glass and a prayer to Jan and her baby tonight, 50 years later, as a Jersey girl not too far away. Xo
 
caradana said:
For whatever bittersweet gifts there are regarding this case, what a gift to be poignantly remembered. Raising a glass and a prayer to Jan and her baby tonight, 50 years later, as a Jersey girl not too far away. Xo
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Hi, from a fellow Jersey girl not far away. I am a horse girl and have an even-more horse girl daughter, so this hits close to home. I recently had a little bit of hope when I saw the article about the cold case murder of Donna Macho in 1984 being solved and the killer worked at a farm (the article didn’t say if it was a horse farm or crop farm). The crimes were separated by 11 years and 27 miles, but it caught my attention. Unfortunately, after reading the article, I don’t think there is a connection.

www.nj.com

Ex-death row killer linked to unsolved 1984 slaying of 19 year old, N.J. authorities say

The sexual assault and killing of Donna Macho, 19, of East Windsor, had remained unsolved for nearly 40 years. DNA has tied convicted killer Nathaniel Harvey to the crime, authorities said.
www.nj.com www.nj.com
 
lengthy
www.nbcnews.com

Siblings hoping for answers in 1973 disappearance of New Jersey teen Jan Cotta

On June 26, 1973, the 19-year-old vanished from Wall Township, New Jersey.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
''July 30, 2023, 5:03 PM EDT
By Kyani Reid

''On the night of June 26, 1973, Jan was in the family’s barn. “Me and the guy I was hanging out with — we heard noises at the barn like the horse was kicking something,” Jan’s brother Brian told Dateline. “So we walked up there and noticed that the light to the tack room was on.”

Brian said he and his friend went into the tack room and saw Jan sitting there. “I went back up to where my sister was and she asked me to leave because the guy she was seeing at the time pulled in,” he recalled. “And we left.”

At the time of her disappearance, Jan was 5’4”, 118 lbs., and had brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing Blue Land Lubbers jeans, a white shirt with a blue design, and brown loafers. She had a plain gold ring with the initials JAC and a gold ring with a blue topaz birthstone with two diamonds. She also had a round tweed purse.''
1690757978590.png

Jan Cotta aged 67.
Jan Cotta aged 67.
Jan would be 69 years old today.

Anyone with information about Jan’s disappearance is asked to call the Wall Township Police Department at 732-449-4500.''
 
Interesting, dotr, thanks for posting. I had no idea the person she was seeing at the time was the one who picked her up, or did I miss that previously? The way it's worded by her brother, it sounds like he knew the person.
 
www.nbcnews.com

Siblings hoping for answers in 1973 disappearance of New Jersey teen Jan Cotta

On June 26, 1973, the 19-year-old vanished from Wall Township, New Jersey.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

"[A]ccording to police, the boyfriend was looked into. During the initial case it was believed to be an acquaintance -- a boyfriend of hers, Lt. Seitz told Dateline about the person who reportedly picked Jan up that night. He was interviewed and denied being there, denied picking her up that night.”

So, which is it? The brother stated that the boyfriend DID "pull in" that night.
 
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So, that's it? The boyfriend denied being there, but Jan's brother and possibly his friend saw this guy pick her up, yet the police just shrugged and said Okay, we believe you, be on your merry way?
Wow...
 
Alleykins said:
So, that's it? The boyfriend denied being there, but Jan's brother and possibly his friend saw this guy pick her up, yet the police just shrugged and said Okay, we believe you, be on your merry way?
Wow...
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So many cases could probably be solved if the police had not been so lazy in the past.
 
Jmoose said:
So many cases could probably be solved if the police had not been so lazy in the past.
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Agreed. It's the same old song and dance for a lot of these cases. I don't think laziness is the only factor here, though. I think it's the good ol boys club abiding by the bro code, because most of these cases are men getting away with it. Lack of physical evidence would be up there as well, but it doesn't sound like investigators looked for any. Like, in Jan's case, though the then bf denied picking her up, did they search his vehicle, anyway? Did they verify his alibi? Did they search his house/property (I get they'd need a search warrant for that, but did they even try?). Maybe they did, but there's so much info missing, from the outside, it looks like they took his word for it and let it drop.
 
Alleykins said:
Agreed. It's the same old song and dance for a lot of these cases. I don't think laziness is the only factor here, though. I think it's the good ol boys club abiding by the bro code, because most of these cases are men getting away with it. Lack of physical evidence would be up there as well, but it doesn't sound like investigators looked for any. Like, in Jan's case, though the then bf denied picking her up, did they search his vehicle, anyway? Did they verify his alibi? Did they search his house/property (I get they'd need a search warrant for that, but did they even try?). Maybe they did, but there's so much info missing, from the outside, it looks like they took his word for it and let it drop.
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And why would they take the boyfriend’s word, but not her brother and his friend’s word for it?
 
Were the genetic tests on the infant ever repeated? Stranger things have happened, of curse, but the timing and the address line up.
 
Alleykins said:
Agreed. It's the same old song and dance for a lot of these cases. I don't think laziness is the only factor here, though. I think it's the good ol boys club abiding by the bro code, because most of these cases are men getting away with it. Lack of physical evidence would be up there as well, but it doesn't sound like investigators looked for any. Like, in Jan's case, though the then bf denied picking her up, did they search his vehicle, anyway? Did they verify his alibi? Did they search his house/property (I get they'd need a search warrant for that, but did they even try?). Maybe they did, but there's so much info missing, from the outside, it looks like they took his word for it and let it drop.
Click to expand...
When I watched the Murdaugh Netflix documentary, I said, “That’s every county in the US to one degree or another.” We need a major anti-corruption campaign to clean up several generations’ worth of messes.
 
John/Jane Doe said:

1654DFNJ - Jan Andre Cotta

www.doenetwork.org
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From link, ty..
''Added: prior to 2006; Last Updated: 02/25/2023 - By: kc''

''1654DFNJ - Jan Andre Cotta​

IMAGE_ALT
IMAGE_ALT
IMAGE_ALT
1654DFNJ.jpg
1654DFNJ1.jpg

Right: Age-Progression by NCMEC to age 52 years; 52 years; 58 years; 67 years

Name: Jan Andre Cotta
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: June 26, 1973
Location Last Seen: Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: March 26, 1954
Age: 19 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 118 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname/Alias: Jane Andrea Cotta
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Mole near left side of mouth; crippled left foot; previously fractured left wrist; right lazy eye when cold or tired; reportedly 5-7 months pregnant; asthma; possible epilepsy

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available; no dental work and teeth were in poor condition
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Available; entered into CODIS

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Blue Land Lubbers jeans; white shirt with a blue design; brown loafers
Jewelry: Plain gold ring with the initials "JAC"; gold ring with a blue topaz birthstone and 2 diamonds
Additional Personal Items: Round tweed purse

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Jan, an avid equestrian, was last seen by her brother and his friend between 11:30 p.m. and midnight on June 26, 1973, at a barn tack house near the back of her family's property on Ridgewood Road. Soon after, a vehicle was seen leaving the farm and family members said Jan vanished. She was reported missing by her mother the next day. Jan has not contacted family or friends since her disappearance''
 
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