PA PA - Monique McClelland, 17, Levittown, 21 Aug 1983

[Caring1]

Monique currently has 18 rule outs showing on NamUs (UP11097 is listed twice)

UP16000
05/15/1992
Allen
IN

UP2224
09/19/1990
Orange
NC

UP15630
07/03/1984
Cuyahoga
OH

UP8419
01/16/2001
Isle of Wight
VA

UP16990
09/15/1987
Hudson
NJ

UP1451
10/26/2004
Burlington
NJ

UP11097
05/24/1985
Baker
GA

UP8345
08/21/2004
Atlantic
NJ

UP1454
02/09/2005
Hudson
NJ

UP11246
04/22/2013
Essex
NJ

UP12683
06/06/2014
Newport News
VA

UP6661
02/03/1991
Stafford
VA

UP6796
11/18/1985
Alleghany
VA

UP6303
01/26/1997
Warren
VA

UP6629
02/03/1991
Frederick
VA

UP8493
12/06/1993
Fairfax
VA

UP6642
08/07/1986
Chesterfield
VA

UP2202
01/24/1988
Bucks
PA

 

[Hurcanus]

BBM

If you're referring to Publicker Jane Doe/Lisa Todd, she was found in 1988, not 1983.

Identified! - PA - Bensalem, WhtFem 461UFPA, 20-30, pregnant, in pumphouse, Jan'88 - Lisa Todd

http://doenetwork.org/cases/461ufpa.html Lots of Photos at above link!! Unidentified White Female The victim was discovered on January 24, 1988 in Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Estimated Date of Death: 1-5 years, most likely more than 3 years, prior to being found...

www.websleuths.com

I was referring to Lisa Todd (the officer gave me that name, I had just forgotten it). I assumed that she was found in 1983 since that was the date on Monique McClelland's NamUS page, but you're quite right that Todd was actually found in 1988. So I'm not sure what's responsible for the date discrepancies in the McClelland case. The 1983 date is just wrong; I'm assuming that comes from when her parents estimated she disappeared, but I don't know.

 

[Hurcanus]

Side note: The reason I looked into Monique's case in the first place is because I strongly suspect a connection to a Doe found in Deptford Township, Gloucester County, NJ in February of 1990 (note that this is not one of the rule-outs posted by Caring1).
. It's about a 45 minute - 1hour drive from Levittown, PA. I admit that the reasons for my suspicions are based on four (admittedly not decisive) factors:

1. The location of the Doe was within driving distance of the McClelland home.
2. The Doe matches Monique's age and physical description (e.g. height, hair color, approximate age, etc).
3. The forensic anthropologist who examined the Gloucester County Doe in 1990 couldn't determine much since the remains were skeletal (see the Doe Network description here), but the most they could say was that she died "more than a year ago." This isn't terribly helpful, but it's at least consistent with the remains being Monique's.
4. The facial reconstructions of the Doe here and compare it to Monique's photo here. The side-by-side comparison is basically what convinced me to start filing records requests left and right. I've also attached photos of both Monique and the reconstructions to this post.

I contacted an investigator with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office about the connection about a week ago, and she confirmed that she's now going to look into this. Though I'm not sure she'll get very far, given that there doesn't actually seem to be an active criminal investigation into the McClelland case. Given that the family submitted DNA to CODIS, and Gloucester still has the Doe's remains, that should hopefully be enough to determine if the remains are Monique's.

I'll consider appealing the Bensalem PD's denial of my records request. But other than that, I'm hoping that the authorities have enough evidence to rule Monique in or out as the 1990 Doe. The main thing I really want to find out is why her parents never reported her disappearance to the police until after a body was found.

 

[digiskunk]

Bensalem PD also informed me that Monique's home was in Bristol Township's jurisdiction, but when they tried to track down Bristol's records, the police there didn't have any. So even though some of her family came forward in 1983 because they thought the Bensalem Doe was Monique, they never actually reported her missing.

Now that's fascinating. I know everybody is caught up on the "why didn't her parents report her missing?" question and understandably so: Because it's suspicious. But with the addition of this information—that the family only came forward because they thought it could be her—leads me to wonder if they had an idea as to why she left in the first place (if she did on her own accord). If she had been caught up in drugs like some have speculated, it's a definite possibility that she could've ran away and her parents just "let her go" because they could no longer hep her. If that is the case, that would explain why they immediately feared it could be her—but it doesn't explain why they didn't file a missing person's report so long ago.

Of course, I'm just speculating and attempting to fill in gaps here. There's nothing to suggest that any of this is true, but considering there isn't much information available, we don't really have any other choice but to take a shot in the dark.

Side note: The reason I looked into Monique's case in the first place is because I strongly suspect a connection to a Doe found in Deptford Township, Gloucester County, NJ in February of 1990 (note that this is not one of the rule-outs posted by Caring1).
. It's about a 45 minute - 1hour drive from Levittown, PA. I admit that the reasons for my suspicions are based on four (admittedly not decisive) factors:

1. The location of the Doe was within driving distance of the McClelland home.
2. The Doe matches Monique's age and physical description (e.g. height, hair color, approximate age, etc).
3. The forensic anthropologist who examined the Gloucester County Doe in 1990 couldn't determine much since the remains were skeletal (see the Doe Network description here), but the most they could say was that she died "more than a year ago." This isn't terribly helpful, but it's at least consistent with the remains being Monique's.
4. The facial reconstructions of the Doe here and compare it to Monique's photo here. The side-by-side comparison is basically what convinced me to start filing records requests left and right. I've also attached photos of both Monique and the reconstructions to this post.

I contacted an investigator with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office about the connection about a week ago, and she confirmed that she's now going to look into this. Though I'm not sure she'll get very far, given that there doesn't actually seem to be an active criminal investigation into the McClelland case. Given that the family submitted DNA to CODIS, and Gloucester still has the Doe's remains, that should hopefully be enough to determine if the remains are Monique's.

I'll consider appealing the Bensalem PD's denial of my records request. But other than that, I'm hoping that the authorities have enough evidence to rule Monique in or out as the 1990 Doe. The main thing I really want to find out is why her parents never reported her disappearance to the police until after a body was found.

Thank you so much for all this information, it's greatly appreciated. I was just curious: Did they tell you what street she lived on? I'm from Levittown (Falls Twp) but have lived in Bristol Township for the last 23 years. I'm currently attempting to dive into the case but it's been difficult with such limited information. We graduated from the same high-school, albeit a 25+ year difference.

Also, I think your match is a great candidate. Excellent work on that one!

 

[digiskunk]

I have an explanation for this, as well as the Jane Doe rule-outs. I spoke to a records officer at the Bensalem Police Department this morning. The case file number in NamUS is actually referring to a completely different case of a Jane Doe found in Bensalem in 1983. Where Monique McClelland comes in is that her family came forward in 1983 and thought that she might be that Jane Doe. Her family have since submitted DNA samples to CODIS, and Monique was ruled out as the Bensalem Doe (and the identity of that Jane Doe has since been determined).

Bensalem PD also informed me that Monique's home was in Bristol Township's jurisdiction, but when they tried to track down Bristol's records, the police there didn't have any. So even though some of her family came forward in 1983 because they thought the Bensalem Doe was Monique, they never actually reported her missing.

(That 1983 Doe, by the way, is currently the subject of an active criminal investigation. Bensalem PD denied a records request for that information and refused to say anything about it.)

Do you have any updates on your sleuthing??

 

[EmilyCasey]

Gardener1850- was wondering if it’s possible for you to delete my comments to this thread? I’m trying to delete my profile but it says it’s not possible to completely delete an account.

 

[digiskunk]

Bumping for visibility. I really wish this case had more coverage but the lack of information sort of makes it impossible to do much digging—at least enough to reach any concrete theories.

There is a "Find Monique McClelland" page on Facebook but I'm unsure if I can post it here. Nevertheless, it appears that we aren't alone in our search... Which is great news.

 

[loveplace]

Bumping for visibility. I really wish this case had more coverage but the lack of information sort of makes it impossible to do much digging—at least enough to reach any concrete theories.

There is a "Find Monique McClelland" page on Facebook but I'm unsure if I can post it here. Nevertheless, it appears that we aren't alone in our search... Which is great news.

I'll check that out over there. Thank you. I agree, I'd love to see more info or movement. This one really sticks with me for some reason.

 

[digiskunk]

From what I understand, a certain reporter is aiming to write a story about this case. Does anybody have any updates from their time digging?

 

[Hockeyfan158]

From everything i read if her mother doesn’t want to talk about her disappearance or even bother looking for her that only leads in one direction her mother had something to do with her disappearance whether she killed her or threw her out on the street because of something bad that happen it’s pretty obvious the mom had something to do with this and she is angry because if Monique is found dead she will be suspect number one more then likely.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

This is a very strange thread.

 

[loveplace]

This is a very strange thread.

Agreed.

 

[digiskunk]

This is a very strange thread.

Oh it is most definitely peculiar—but I suppose that's to be expected when dealing with a case with practically no information nor assistance from the missing person's family. As suspicious as that is, there's also a rather logical explanation to be found here: If anybody were to "run away" around here—especially if it pertained to drugs—it would most likely be to Philadelphia, where it would be really easy to lay low and pursue your newly-discovered lifestyle. If she was of legal age, that could explain why the police didn't really investigate too much further—because she was legally free to make her own decisions; and furthermore they knew that hunting for a drug addict in the city would be a lost cause, especially during a time when Philadelphia was becoming an increasingly volatile hotbed for drug usage—especially in the 1980s with the introduction and widespread usage of crack cocaine. Still, I can't help but wonder why the family didn't contact the police sooner or made a valiant effort to actually locate her. But there are definitely things that we're missing here.

I hope the discussion of illicit substances isn't too triggering, but considering this is a true crime forum, I'm assuming not. I've just lost way too many friends and family members to drug use and I know how widespread it is around here. It affects people of all classes, creeds, etc. A lot has changed since the 1980s, but even back then it was bad enough to encourage my cousin to burglarize our house every Christmas and rob randoms on the street. It stinks, but the reality is all too real. But I just wanted to take a moment to remind people that these allegations surrounding her drug use come from family members and/or friends of family; whether or not it's true is to be seen, but it's worth considering nevertheless.

I think we're all just stumbling in the dark hoping the best for this poor soul who seemingly fell off the face of the earth.

Lastly, do not contact the family and pry for information. It's just incredibly offensive and out-of-bounds.

 

[digiskunk]

Bumping for visibility. I hope there have been updates on this case!

 

[Caring1]

No new rule outs listed in NamUs.

 

[Pennysmom2]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Monique McClelland – The Charley Project

• 
• 
• 

Monique, circa 1983

• Missing Since 08/21/1983
• Missing From Levittown, Pennsylvania
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 17 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 125 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair.

Details of Disappearance​

Monique was last seen at her family's home in Levittown, Pennsylvania sometime in the early 1980s. August 21, 1983 is given as the approximate date of her disappearance. She has never been heard from again. Very little information is available regarding her disappearance. Bensalem, Pennsylvania police are investigating.

Investigating Agency​

• Bensalem Police Department 215-633-3726

Source Information​

• NamUs
• Pennsylvania Missing Persons

Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 13, 2020; picture added.