NJ NJ - Sharon Thor, 15, murdered, Franklin Township, 26 October 1982

I'm gonna get more into more specifics about the case:

The car-Did any witnesses see the car(the old car or maybe the sports car)that night(Tuesday, October 26th, 1982) at around maybe maybe 6:25-6:30pm at the site that was owned by the utility company? Again the 2 guys and Sharon may have been at the property owned by the utility company for longer than 5 minutes. I saw the property on Google Maps last night and there is a fence and a sign on the fence. The sign looks to be "a No Trespassing Sign" probably. There looks to be a playground behind the fence maybe. Maybe the property was a small playground before the utility company purchased the property. The road which is a public road looks like it could have been a walking trail at one point.

Clean Up/Hand Injuries After The Crime-The Killer or Killer(s) had to have moderate bruising, cuts, or bleeding coming from their hands after killing Sharon. Was there a first aid kit somewhere in the car to clean up the bleeding if the killer of the killer(s)was bleeding from using blunt force objects to kill Sharon? The reason why I bring up the first aid kit is if one or both of the suspects could have been in the construction work field they might have a fird aid kit to treat injuries on their job. I doubt the bleeding was bad but if it was did the killer or killer(s) go to a hospital(St. Peters on Easton Ave) to get the bleeding wound treated? St. Peters wasn't the size it is now in 1982. I know because I was a patient there I had to go NYC for a medical problem I have had throughout my life. I had to go New York City(1988-1991) to get my problem treated because they and I don't think most of Jersey didn't have the machine I needed to track my medical problem that I have. When St. Peters expanded through their renovation in 1992 they had the machine I needed to track my medical problem. My point is St. Peters was a reasonably small hospital in 1982 I think. Anyways, the killer or Killer(s) could have went to Somerst Medical Center(now RWJ Somerset) or RWJ New Brunswick to get their bleeding or bruising hand treated. Still St. Peters is closer. He and maybe his friend could have gave the Dr. or Nurse who was treating them an excuse like they cut themselves doing construction work or they fell or they were both roughhousing with each other . If the killer or killer(s) went home and a family member or friend saw the bruise or maybe cuts to their hand they might have asked how did you cut your hand or bruise yourself? Again they might have gave a excuse like they got it doing construction work or they fell. Even then they might have had a bandage on their hand from the cuts or bruising. Somebody could have asked what happened to your hand? Another theory is what if one of the killer(s) went to a bathroom in a gas station to clean up his hand with sink water and later bandaged his hand at home? Some of the gas stations in Jersey now require a key because of the Joe Sass Murder in Warren, NJ in the early 2000's I think.

Murder Weapons and more about Hand Injuries(repeating myself a bit)-I do wonder if one or both of the suspect(s) were going to do a construction job the next day using the murder weapons(the cinder block or 2X4.) Whoever the construction work was being performed for(a friend, one of their parents, a random client, or a construction firm) could have been like where is the cinder block or 2X4? One of the killer(s) could have been like I forgot to get them or a had an emergency where I couldn't get the materials for the project. Maybe though one of Killer(s) bought another 2X4 and a cinder block the next morning after the murder. Still if the killer or killer(s) worked for a construction firm(the foreman)or maybe a random client or noticed the bruising or cuts to their hand. Even if the cuts or bruises were treated at a hospital the killer would have still have a bandage on the bruise or cut. The foreman or random client could have asked why do you have a bandage on your hand like what happened? Finally, I do wonder if a construction worker in and around that area(Franklin Twp) for the next couple of days after the murder was acting weird and the foreman(their boss) couldn't figure out why he or both guys were acting so weird or their work was off the mark. They weren't working as fast as they used too or they had to be reminded what to do whereas before they didn't need to be told as much as what to do on a project before the murder. Maybe one or both of the suspects called out of work the day after the murder. Another scenario if one or both of the killers were scheduled to do a construction job for a friend or somebody randomly and they called off of the job the day after the murder(October 27th) and maybe the job got postponed or the friend or random person went with another firm to perform the job. If the project was for a family member maybe he said I just didn't get a chance to get the materials for the project.

A theory that probably doesn't pan out- What if both suspects were still in High School(Seniors for example)did one of them miss school the next day or 2 after the murder? Still had one of the classmates of the suspects noticed bruising, cuts, or a bandage on their hand when they came back to school.

There are alot of scenarios and theories that I have listed maybe. I just think the killer or Killer(s) slipped up somewhere.
 
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There is a 'Change petition on line asking for the case to be reopened.
Started
February 9, 2023

''Justice for the Thor Family: Reopen the 40 year old cold case of Sharon M. Thor of NJ''​



Yeah I saw the petition. I''m just shaky about putting my name on it for privacy reasons. Sharon's niece seems upset in her post on the petition and I don't blame her but I don't think blaming the cops is the right thing to do. I think the Franklin Twp. PD did what they could do on the information that they had to go on to solve the case from what I l know. Maybe I am being a little bit favorable to the Franklin Twp. PD on their effort to solve the case but its just my take.

As far as reopening the case I think the case was reopened on 2 different occasions in 2009 and 2017. I do wonder how long the case was open for from when the case was first opened in real late October of 1982 after Sharon's death. Still in regards to reopening the case I'm sure new information/tips will be taken from Franklin Twp. PD if anybody has any new leads on the case. One thing I do wonder about the original investigation in late 1982 is did Franklin Twp. PD interview people that lived outside of Franklin Twp?
 
Ok so for more theories:

Did Sharon ever hang out at the property that was and is still owned by the utility company? If so did she first encounter the 1 or both of the guys prior to October 26th, 1982 at the utility company property? The property is weird in that it is fenced off on 1 side(by John E. Busch Ave) and the other side its not fenced off by where they are condos. The condos look like new construction and weren't there in 1982.

Another theory is could both or 1 of these guys been school mates of Sharon's before like in Middle School and just moved to another nearby town at some point? Than after 3-5 years they met again. I think obviously Sharon was attracted to one of the guys and they were attracted to her.

Using DNA: Maybe using a DNA Sample to build ancestry/nationality traits like "23 and me" and build a facial composite through using the one of the killer(s) DNA. You could do one at their early 20's and go through High School Yearbooks to find one of the killers. You could also do an age progressed composite to see if anybody has seen a person looking like this following composite. This worked in a Louisiana Serial Killer Case(in Baton Rouge or New Orleans maybe) which I saw on the show "Forensic Files" just building a facial composite through using DNA. Of course this whole paragraph is law enforcement's job.
 
I was reading more articles about Sharon's death last night. I have more questions:

I read Sharon's mom said that she thought the suspects got away using dirt roads from the property that was/is owned by the utility company. Sharon's mom seems like she was saying only certain people knew about these dirt roads. I looked at a map of the area last night and didn't see any dirt roads. Maybe they have since been built or paved over over with condos and roads since 1982. My question would be did anybody see an old car or a sports car with a loud muffler the night of Tuesday, October 26th, 1982 at maybe 6:35 pm driving through these dirt roads? Maybe a hiker/walker or somebody just driving through?

Also, I read some guys dad on the comments section of the "Wicked Deeds Podcast" said his dad who was a maybe a Franklin Twp. Fireman at the time when Sharon's body was first discovered said it was wrapped in a rug or a blanket. Has this ever been confirmed? If she was wrapped in a blanket or a rug has it ever been discovered at what store the item was purchased from?

The reopening of the case in 2009: I read last night that the Franklin Twp. PD received a tip in that resulted in the re-opening of the case in 2009.
 
More questions about this case:

I have heard Sharon's body was hard to find after the murder. Why leave the 2 murder weapons and try to hide the body? It doesn't make much sense. Again was there somebody walking by or a car that passed by maybe?

I forgot to suggest other places to list after Sharon got into the car with the 2 guys. Maybe she went to "Cedar Grove Shopping Mall" on Cedar Grove Lane with the 2 guys since there are restaurants in the Shopping Mall if it was there back then. At least there are restaurants that are there now and there might have been places to eat in that Mall back then too if it was there back then. Might her and the 2 guys been hanging out outside Rutgers Prep School in the parking lot on Easton Ave?
 
I just went on here in the hope that this case was solved. I danced with Sharon from the time we were little girls to shortly before her murder. In addition my boyfriend and many friends lived in her neighborhood at the time she was murdered. The highschool boys in the neighborhood were all interviewed. It was very upsetting to us all. The area she was murdered was a local hangout for partying. All the local kids knew about it and most by a certain age were there at least a few times. The area had construction material litered about as I remember so I think the weapons were those of opportunity.
We all had our suspicions about who did it. There was a local guy who was very abusive to girls he was interested in and or dated. I think I remember that the brothers even confronted someone they thought did it and it was probably who we all thought. I think it was not intential and that this person's temper flew into a rage as we had seen happen with other girls by the person we suspected. It is my undestanding this person was interviewed initially too. At the time dna evidence was not what it is now and some was probably not kept for future science to catch up (not sure if I remember that part). Now when this cold case is brought up, we all conjecture that the family of the guy we suspect has some connections and will never be charged. If it is who we think, knowing how he treated the girls he was involved with or wanted to be, I suspect he has been in trouble for domestic abuse sometime during all these years. People like that do not change. I would hope invesigators would look into domestic abuse cases and back track to see if any of them lived in that neighborhood during the time of Sharon's murder.....
 
I just went on here in the hope that this case was solved. I danced with Sharon from the time we were little girls to shortly before her murder. In addition my boyfriend and many friends lived in her neighborhood at the time she was murdered. The highschool boys in the neighborhood were all interviewed. It was very upsetting to us all. The area she was murdered was a local hangout for partying. All the local kids knew about it and most by a certain age were there at least a few times. The area had construction material litered about as I remember so I think the weapons were those of opportunity.
We all had our suspicions about who did it. There was a local guy who was very abusive to girls he was interested in and or dated. I think I remember that the brothers even confronted someone they thought did it and it was probably who we all thought. I think it was not intential and that this person's temper flew into a rage as we had seen happen with other girls by the person we suspected. It is my undestanding this person was interviewed initially too. At the time dna evidence was not what it is now and some was probably not kept for future science to catch up (not sure if I remember that part). Now when this cold case is brought up, we all conjecture that the family of the guy we suspect has some connections and will never be charged. If it is who we think, knowing how he treated the girls he was involved with or wanted to be, I suspect he has been in trouble for domestic abuse sometime during all these years. People like that do not change. I would hope invesigators would look into domestic abuse cases and back track to see if any of them lived in that neighborhood during the time of Sharon's murder.....

Just curious. Do you have any idea where the guy is these days? Or if he is even alive? Have you ever tried to google his name?
 
I just went on here in the hope that this case was solved. I danced with Sharon from the time we were little girls to shortly before her murder. In addition my boyfriend and many friends lived in her neighborhood at the time she was murdered. The highschool boys in the neighborhood were all interviewed. It was very upsetting to us all. The area she was murdered was a local hangout for partying. All the local kids knew about it and most by a certain age were there at least a few times. The area had construction material litered about as I remember so I think the weapons were those of opportunity.
We all had our suspicions about who did it. There was a local guy who was very abusive to girls he was interested in and or dated. I think I remember that the brothers even confronted someone they thought did it and it was probably who we all thought. I think it was not intential and that this person's temper flew into a rage as we had seen happen with other girls by the person we suspected. It is my undestanding this person was interviewed initially too. At the time dna evidence was not what it is now and some was probably not kept for future science to catch up (not sure if I remember that part). Now when this cold case is brought up, we all conjecture that the family of the guy we suspect has some connections and will never be charged. If it is who we think, knowing how he treated the girls he was involved with or wanted to be, I suspect he has been in trouble for domestic abuse sometime during all these years. People like that do not change. I would hope invesigators would look into domestic abuse cases and back track to see if any of them lived in that neighborhood during the time of Sharon's murder.....

Do you know if Sharon hung out in that area before? I'm assuming she did since you said everyone did at one point or another.

So my theory in earlier posts about the suspect or suspects being in the construction field could be wrong. You said there was construction material on that site of the utility company that owns the property.

Yeah I have read at least one of her brothers confronted someone about Sharon's murder.

Did Sharon and the guy you suspect just know each other or would talk sometimes?

I'm glad you posted I was hoping somebody who knew Sharon would post here. If you read my other posts I live about 20-25 minutes from Franklin Twp. I was only a toddler when Sharon was killed and I never knew about it until 6-9 months ago.
 
I wonder if Sharon's killer is linked to the Gary Butler murder which happened on February 26th, 1996. Gary Butler's body was found in a retention pond on the border of Bridgewater and Manville on North Main Street by the Raritan River. Gary's cause of death was by multiple blunt force trauma. Gary was walking a friend home after shooting pool with several other people at Perhach's Bar in Manville on the late evening of February 25th, 1996 and than went back to the Chester House in Manville where he was renting a room. He later went back out between 2:00-6:00 am on February 26th, 1996 where he was headed to Bound Brook. He later then was going back to Manville when he was killed.

I did wonder if Sharon's killer was linked to the Joe Sass murder June 29, 2000 in Warren NJ at an Exxon Station which was off I-78. Joe Sass's killer was a man with dark complextion so I don't believe Joe Sass's killer was the same guy that killed Sharon. Sharon's killer seems like he was non-hispanic White or maybe White-Hispanic.
 
I just thought about this scenario like an hour and a half ago due to OldJerseyGir'ls post on this thread. In my opinion maybe the driver of the car that picked Sharon up on October 26th,1982 at around 5:30-5:35 pm is not the suspect. I think he was the caller though who Sharon was surprised to hear from and she did take the phone as far as the cord would go down to the basement stairs for privacy. Its obvious she took a liking to the guy and she got in the car sitting in the front passenger seat and he was the driver of the car.

I think the suspect is either the guy that was sitting in the back passenger seat of the car or another guy. I'm curious did the driver of the car or the the guy in the back passenger seat(if not the suspect) see Sharon's killer that day?
 
I just wanted to touch on something that I touched on before having to do with Sharon's murder:

I do wonder if the suspect was a local did he return to the site of the murder scene just to hang out with other people on the utility company property? The reason I bring that up is again when the suspect killed Sharon with the 2x4 and the cinder block he had to have some kind of hand injuries like a cut or maybe a bandage on his hand. Yeah I had touched on that point before on a prior post. I do wonder if anybody noticed anybody hanging out at the utility company property with a bandage or a cut or cut(s) on their hands like maybe a week or 2 after the murder.

I wanted to note something else too there will be 2 Fundraiser Events at Villagers Theatre on 475 DeMott Ln , Franklin Twp, (Somerset County, NJ): (1) on Saturday, August 26th, at 8pm and (1) on Sunday, August 27th at 2pm. There will also be performances of "Remembering Sharon" by Nick Pelino Jr. which will cover Sharon's unsolved murder. The 2 performances will raise money to help solve the case. Tickets are 25 dollars each. You can read more on the theatre's website. I may go myself.
 
4 questions or comments.

I wonder how close the Franklin Twp. PD were to solving this case in late 1982/early 1983 the first time the case was opened. Again, I do not know how long the case was kept opened the first time after Sharon was murdered in late October of 1982.

I do wonder if the information that the Franklin Twp. PD received from the person that lived on the same street(John E. Busch Ave) that Sharon lived on was in late 1982/early 1983 or in 2009 that he saw Sharon got into a car with the 2 guys.

I am kinda stunned this case didn't get any "Unsolved Mysteries" episode.

The Franklin Twp. PD did interview different people and nobody admitted to calling Sharon at around 5:30pm the day of Sharon's death.
 
There was an article on the front page of "The Courier News" about Sharon today. I skimmed through the article at the supermarket. It was about the upcoming "tribute play" for Sharon that is happening at "The Village Theatre" in the Somerset Section of Franklin Twp. on Saturday(August 26th) and Sunday(August 27th.) I probably will post something about the play on this thread in a couple weeks again. There was also a guy(forgot his name) who donated 500.00$ to help find Sharon's killer(s) listed in the article.
 
Just bump the thread.

There will be (2) fundraising events of (1) will this Saturday August 26th at 8:00pm Eastern Time(20:00 military time) and (1) this Sunday, August 27th at 2:00pm Eastern Time(14:00 military time) at "The Villagers Theatre" on 475 DeMott Lane, Franklin Twp, NJ(Somerset County). The fundraising events will be called "Remembering Sharon" which is a play which will cover Sharon's life I think and also her unsolved murder which are directed by Nick Pellino Jr. 50% of the money I think will go to help fundraise to help solve Sharon's murder. Tickets are 25.00$ each. You can go to "The Villager's Theatre" website to find out more information. I have read that Sharon's Mom will be at the fundraising event I'm not sure if she will at both or just 1 of the events.

I am gonna try to go myself to the Sunday event at 2pm. I already bought my ticket but lately I have been hit with 6 day work weeks mostly since July so its been a little rough for me of late.
 
I saw a video previewing the (2) fundraising events and there will be new developments announced according to longtime Franklin Twp. resident Frank Resta in Sharon's murder case at the events this coming weekend. They(the Franklin PD I'm assuming) just have to put the information of the developments together Frank said. I should note Frank is the one that gave 500.00$ to help solve Sharon's murder case that I referred to in another previous post. 1700.00$ total have been raised as well for a reward to help solve this case. Frank will portray Sharon's brother Frank in the (2) plays this coming weekend.

Frank also said Sharon was sexually assaulted. I just want to know if that's true or not because I thought I that was inconclusive according to articles on the internet.
 
I went to the play yesterday "Remembering Sharon" and at times it was funny, sad, and preachy. Still it was a good experience to get out since I have been working 6 days a week like 50% of the time in the past 2 months.

The audience was allowed to ask questions to ask to a Franklin Twp. police officer. I should be able to post what I learned in the following below from since it was a public Q&A forum. I am not gonna list the officers name on this forum though.

-The call to Sharon at her house was not traceable because the instrument or device that traces calls into and from a home was out of service for some reason at the time of 5:30pm Eastern Time(17:30 military time) on Tuesday, October 26th, 1982.

-The case was taken up by the FBI in the 1990's. I saw this pointed out in a recent post on the "Margaret Ellen Fox thread" on this site which was a case that took place in 1974. Margaret Ellen got abducted by a guy supposedly who went by the name of "John Marshall" who was looking for a babysitter in the Southwest portion of New Jersey which is part of the Philly Metro Area.

-It was a normal day for Sharon on Tuesday, October 26th, 1982 except for she had a cut a class or missed lunch at school(I can't recall which) because she wanted to study for a test for a class.

-This case has always been open the officer had said unless a case has been labeled "inactive".

-The car that Sharon got into was a small compact hatchback type of vehicle like a Ford Pinto the officer said. An AMC Gremlin was looked into as the possible vehicle that Sharon had got into which was found at "The Cedar Grove Center" I believe on Cedar Grove Lane in Franklin Twp,(Somerset County). I believe that car was cleared though as a vehicle that Sharon didn't get into on Tuesday October 26th, 1982 at 5:35pm.
 
Here are some cars that Sharon may have gotten into the night of Tuesday, October 26th, 1982 at 5:35pm. I should note there maybe been some substance on the back window part(like Fabric or a garbage bag) to fill probably fill the window space where the window glass was missing. It was said in "The Play' a few weeks ago that the substance was fabric. The driver of the car was White or possibly White Hispanic male in their late teens/early 20's. This cars owner(whatever or whoever it was) could have been from Franklin Twp. or the nearby towns of North or New Brunswick, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Bridgewater, South Bound Brook, or Bound Brook. I could include towns like Highland Park, Edison, or Middlesex Borough in there too. I took what the officer said at the play a few weeks ago that it was some type of AMC Gremlin or Ford Pinto type of vehicle and I myself added a few cars below that were competition to those 2 cars at the time. I could have added in maybe a Volkswagen model in there but I don't feel like it maybe another time. I didn't even think about adding a VW model till I got to writing this post.


1970's Subaru GL
th




AMC Gremlin
1694407325829.jpeg


1970's Chevy Monza 2+2 or a 1970's era Buick Skylark

1694407434016.jpeg
Ford Pinto
1694407508550.jpeg


late 1970's/early 1980's Toyota Celica
1694407653106.jpeg
 
Here are some cars that Sharon may have gotten into the night of Tuesday, October 26th, 1982 at 5:35pm. I should note there maybe been some substance on the back window part(like Fabric or a garbage bag) to fill probably fill the window space where the window glass was missing. It was said in "The Play' a few weeks ago that the substance was fabric. The driver of the car was White or possibly White Hispanic male in their late teens/early 20's. This cars owner(whatever or whoever it was) could have been from Franklin Twp. or the nearby towns of North or New Brunswick, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Bridgewater, South Bound Brook, or Bound Brook. I could include towns like Highland Park, Edison, or Middlesex Borough in there too. I took what the officer said at the play a few weeks ago that it was some type of AMC Gremlin or Ford Pinto type of vehicle and I myself added a few cars below that were competition to those 2 cars at the time. I could have added in maybe a Volkswagen model in there but I don't feel like it maybe another time. I didn't even think about adding a VW model till I got to writing this post.


1970's Subaru GL
th




AMC Gremlin


1970's Chevy Monza 2+2 or a 1970's era Buick Skylark

View attachment 446237

late 1970's/early 1980's Toyota Celica
View attachment 446240
 
I didn't post 1970's(VW's) era's because I had thought about them while I was posting other 1970's era non-VW's last week. Here are a couple 1970's era VW's that Sharon may have gotten into at 5:35 pm on Tuesday October 26th, 1982. The cars and the cars that were included in last Sunday's post as well had something on the back window like a garbage bag or a piece of fabric in place of the actual back window.

Again the car that Sharon had got into may have been from out of Franklin Twp., or from the nearby towns of New Brunswick, North Brunswick, South Brunswick, South Bound Brook, Bound Brook, or Piscataway. The car could also have been out of the towns of Middlesex Borough, South Plainfield, Edison, or Highland Park.


1695014160745.jpeg
1970's era VW Scirocco


1695014269100.jpeg
1970's era VW Passat
 
The Tragic Murder of Sharon Thor. The 15-year-old ballet dancer was ...

Sharon Thor, age 15, Murdered 26 October 1982



NJ cold case: Franklin High School student Sharon Thor killed in 1982



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