Found Deceased MA - Judith Chartier, 17, Chelmsford, 5 June 1982 *car found in 2021*

[Spider92]

oh wow, just saw this article and came straight here. Im so glad after all this time she was found and her brother can sleep again. It could be just an accident but also does seem suspicious the circumstances around the guy...

Which guy? James Debardeleben? I've somehow lost the article about the Secret Service in DC calling the Billerica police. Was it consistent with JD's MO to try and hide his victims like pushing their car into a river?

 

[ctmom]

Granted, a lot can happen in 40 years. . Like a car & body moving down stream with heavy rains, rising waters, freezing & thaws however, based on aerial footage, the LE presser, tweets and photos from various media sources, her remains were recovered apx (2 different accountings) 15 to 20 or 50 to 75 yards out and in 10 ft of water in the Concord river in the area of 135 Billerica Street in Lowell... just downstream from the railroad bridge and very close to the power lines that crosses the concord river, which flows in a northerly direction.
Imo, theres no way her car could have entered the river south of that railroad bridge because the bridge pilings are way too close together.
Based on the above.. the only places, i believe her car could have entered the river is
1) the corner of Denton Street and Billerica Street immediately north of the railroad bridge or
2) at the end of 135 Billerica Street parcel (Town of Lowell owned property).
Both locations abutt the eastern side of the Concord River.
Judy's house (70 Gorham Street) was on the western side of the river.
A Google street view of Denton & Billerica will show the construction of the rr bridge as well as direct waterfront on that corner. The car & remains could easily have gone in there on that corner & flowed to where both were found.
Unless she was totally inebriated... imo, these 2 probable points of entry are both on the eastern side of the river & knowing she lived on the west side of the river, makes me suspicious.
If the party was in fact on Wilson St., (as mentioned in, previously referenced, comments under Joes FB post - where he answered "house")(wilson is just below the damn), she would have had to make a left to go home... but with only 2 points of possible river entry, imo, being on the eastern side of the river... she would have made a right. Why?
That route (taking a right) was not the way home.
I've made a Google Earth Pro map with distance, measurements, locations etc., which should give a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
I'll post the map as well as screenshots of Google street view tomorrow as I'm not at my computer tonight.
Side note:
So many of Judy's family have passed in the last 40 years... I sincerely hope there are folks still alive who attended that party as well as those two fellas who strangly appeared on her parents doorstep the morning she went missing...
The only two who lawyered up immediately after their strange unexpected & very suspicious appearance.

 

[ctmom]

Granted, a lot can happen in 40 years. . Like a car & body moving down stream with heavy rains, rising waters, freezing & thaws however, based on aerial footage, the LE presser, tweets and photos from various media sources, her remains were recovered apx (2 different accountings) 15 to 20 or 50 to 75 yards out and in 10 ft of water in the Concord river in the area of 135 Billerica Street in Lowell... just downstream from the railroad bridge and very close to the power lines that crosses the concord river, which flows in a northerly direction.
Imo, theres no way her car could have entered the river south of that railroad bridge because the bridge pilings are way too close together.
Based on the above.. the only places, i believe her car could have entered the river is
1) the corner of Denton Street and Billerica Street immediately north of the railroad bridge or
2) at the end of 135 Billerica Street parcel (Town of Lowell owned property).
Both locations abutt the eastern side of the Concord River.
Judy's house (70 Gorham Street) was on the western side of the river.
A Google street view of Denton & Billerica will show the construction of the rr bridge as well as direct waterfront on that corner. The car & remains could easily have gone in there on that corner & flowed to where both were found.
Unless she was totally inebriated... imo, these 2 probable points of entry are both on the eastern side of the river & knowing she lived on the west side of the river, makes me suspicious.
If the party was in fact on Wilson St., (as mentioned in, previously referenced, comments under Joes FB post - where he answered "house")(wilson is just below the damn), she would have had to make a left to go home... but with only 2 points of possible river entry, imo, being on the eastern side of the river... she would have made a right. Why?
That route (taking a right) was not the way home.
I've made a Google Earth Pro map with distance, measurements, locations etc., which should give a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
I'll post the map as well as screenshots of Google street view tomorrow as I'm not at my computer tonight.
Side note:
So many of Judy's family have passed in the last 40 years... I sincerely hope there are folks still alive who attended that party as well as those two fellas who strangly appeared on her parents doorstep the morning she went missing...
The only two who lawyered up immediately after their strange unexpected & very suspicious appearance.

*Note: The attached maps are assuming JC's car entered the Concord River north of the railroad bridge and her vehicle broke apart due to time and elements only.

Attached:
1) Google Earth Map - Includes:
Pins: *Judith's Home - 70 Gorham Street
*Remains Found - Off Billerica Street (#135 (Town of Lowell owned property) also location of LE presser.)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance#1 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance #2 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)

Locations of Note:
*Faulkner Dam in North Billerica - Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug of Sonar Search and Recovery searched the river between the dam in North Billerica and Lawrence Street Bridge in Lowell. Human remains found in Concord River identified as Judith Chartier
*Wilson Street - Possible site of party in Billerica. Based on JC's "house" response to a comment on his previously mentioned FB post.

Red Lines: Distance point from JC's house and location where remains were found, (Approx. 1 mile)

Inserts: *Street view of railroad bridge
*Tweet "remains found off Billerica St in Lowell"
*Zoom of area where remains were found

2) Green Zoom Insert (inside above map)- Zoom of Area where car & remains were found off Billerica St. & imo, possible points of river entry north of railroad bridge, power lines, river flow, railroad bridge.

3) SS Google street view - Corner of Denton & Billerica Streets looking south to railroad bridge.

4) SS of Aerial Heli view showing power lines above Crime scene tent. 7News Boston:
Human remains found in Concord River where missing teen’s car was found – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

5) SS of "Remains found off Billerica Street in Lowell" tweet by Brad Tatum - Asst. News Director WBZ-TV CBS Boston.

I am going to assume Judy's car was in tact when she entered the water.

I see no realistic points entry into the Concord River from the west side of the Concord river between Wilson Street and JC's house.

Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug's sonar search area was between the Lawrence Bridge in Lowell & the dam in North Billerica.

There's the possibility she could have entered the river between the dam in North Billerica and where her car & remains were found in Lowell, from south of the railroad bridge.
With rising levels, rushing water flows, freezing & thawing, her car could have been moved over the 40 years down river (heading North) and broke up when going under the railroad bridge.

If she went off at the Faulkner dam bridge on Faulkner Street in North Billerica, her car and her body would have to travel over 3 miles around bends & under the I-495 Bridge and the railroad bridge to where the car/her remains were found.

She could have somehow gotten on I-495 from either west or east and went off the interstate Bridge in Lowell. This bridge is just south of the railroad bridge. Her car could have broken apart if it went off here and flowed possibly in parts the short distance under the railroad bridge to it's most current resting place.

Providing her car did not break up from going under the railroad bridge and assuming time and elements are what broke the vehicle in to parts, I see no points of entry north of the railroad bridge other than:
1) The corner of Denton & Billerica Streets and
2) The town owned lot located at 135 Billerica Street in Lowell, the area where her remains were found.

Imo, looking south at the railroad bridge from the corner of Denton & Billerica (street view), it just doesn't seem possible, to me, that a car could fit (in tact) through the pilings supporting the bridge.

I could be totally wrong and way off but I'm assuming her vehicle went into the river north of the railroad bridge solely because her remains were located not far from her vehicle.

Thoughts, opinions & alternative scenarios are welcome.

 

[evilwise]

*Note: The attached maps are assuming JC's car entered the Concord River north of the railroad bridge and her vehicle broke apart due to time and elements only.

Attached:
1) Google Earth Map - Includes:
Pins: *Judith's Home - 70 Gorham Street
*Remains Found - Off Billerica Street (#135 (Town of Lowell owned property) also location of LE presser.)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance#1 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance #2 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)

Locations of Note:
*Faulkner Dam in North Billerica - Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug of Sonar Search and Recovery searched the river between the dam in North Billerica and Lawrence Street Bridge in Lowell. Human remains found in Concord River identified as Judith Chartier
*Wilson Street - Possible site of party in Billerica. Based on JC's "house" response to a comment on his previously mentioned FB post.

Red Lines: Distance point from JC's house and location where remains were found, (Approx. 1 mile)

Inserts: *Street view of railroad bridge
*Tweet "remains found off Billerica St in Lowell"
*Zoom of area where remains were found

2) Green Zoom Insert (inside above map)- Zoom of Area where car & remains were found off Billerica St. & imo, possible points of river entry north of railroad bridge, power lines, river flow, railroad bridge.

3) SS Google street view - Corner of Denton & Billerica Streets looking south to railroad bridge.

4) SS of Aerial Heli view showing power lines above Crime scene tent. 7News Boston:
Human remains found in Concord River where missing teen’s car was found – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

5) SS of "Remains found off Billerica Street in Lowell" tweet by Brad Tatum - Asst. News Director WBZ-TV CBS Boston.

I am going to assume Judy's car was in tact when she entered the water.

I see no realistic points entry into the Concord River from the west side of the Concord river between Wilson Street and JC's house.

Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug's sonar search area was between the Lawrence Bridge in Lowell & the dam in North Billerica.

There's the possibility she could have entered the river between the dam in North Billerica and where her car & remains were found in Lowell, from south of the railroad bridge.
With rising levels, rushing water flows, freezing & thawing, her car could have been moved over the 40 years down river (heading North) and broke up when going under the railroad bridge.

If she went off at the Faulkner dam bridge on Faulkner Street in North Billerica, her car and her body would have to travel over 3 miles around bends & under the I-495 Bridge and the railroad bridge to where the car/her remains were found.

She could have somehow gotten on I-495 from either west or east and went off the interstate Bridge in Lowell. This bridge is just south of the railroad bridge. Her car could have broken apart if it went off here and flowed possibly in parts the short distance under the railroad bridge to it's most current resting place.

Providing her car did not break up from going under the railroad bridge and assuming time and elements are what broke the vehicle in to parts, I see no points of entry north of the railroad bridge other than:
1) The corner of Denton & Billerica Streets and
2) The town owned lot located at 135 Billerica Street in Lowell, the area where her remains were found.

Imo, looking south at the railroad bridge from the corner of Denton & Billerica (street view), it just doesn't seem possible, to me, that a car could fit (in tact) through the pilings supporting the bridge.

I could be totally wrong and way off but I'm assuming her vehicle went into the river north of the railroad bridge solely because her remains were located not far from her vehicle.

Thoughts, opinions & alternative scenarios are welcome.

Looks like the kind of place, 40 years ago, that a 17 year old might pull off the road to sleep in her car because she didn't want to go home in the middle of the night smelling like a party.

 

[Spider92]

*Note: The attached maps are assuming JC's car entered the Concord River north of the railroad bridge and her vehicle broke apart due to time and elements only.

Attached:
1) Google Earth Map - Includes:
Pins: *Judith's Home - 70 Gorham Street
*Remains Found - Off Billerica Street (#135 (Town of Lowell owned property) also location of LE presser.)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance#1 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)
*Imo, Possible Point of River Entrance #2 (providing car broke into parts north of the railroad bridge)

Locations of Note:
*Faulkner Dam in North Billerica - Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug of Sonar Search and Recovery searched the river between the dam in North Billerica and Lawrence Street Bridge in Lowell. Human remains found in Concord River identified as Judith Chartier
*Wilson Street - Possible site of party in Billerica. Based on JC's "house" response to a comment on his previously mentioned FB post.

Red Lines: Distance point from JC's house and location where remains were found, (Approx. 1 mile)

Inserts: *Street view of railroad bridge
*Tweet "remains found off Billerica St in Lowell"
*Zoom of area where remains were found

2) Green Zoom Insert (inside above map)- Zoom of Area where car & remains were found off Billerica St. & imo, possible points of river entry north of railroad bridge, power lines, river flow, railroad bridge.

3) SS Google street view - Corner of Denton & Billerica Streets looking south to railroad bridge.

4) SS of Aerial Heli view showing power lines above Crime scene tent. 7News Boston:
Human remains found in Concord River where missing teen’s car was found – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

5) SS of "Remains found off Billerica Street in Lowell" tweet by Brad Tatum - Asst. News Director WBZ-TV CBS Boston.

I am going to assume Judy's car was in tact when she entered the water.

I see no realistic points entry into the Concord River from the west side of the Concord river between Wilson Street and JC's house.

Bruce Stebbins and Hans Hug's sonar search area was between the Lawrence Bridge in Lowell & the dam in North Billerica.

There's the possibility she could have entered the river between the dam in North Billerica and where her car & remains were found in Lowell, from south of the railroad bridge.
With rising levels, rushing water flows, freezing & thawing, her car could have been moved over the 40 years down river (heading North) and broke up when going under the railroad bridge.

If she went off at the Faulkner dam bridge on Faulkner Street in North Billerica, her car and her body would have to travel over 3 miles around bends & under the I-495 Bridge and the railroad bridge to where the car/her remains were found.

She could have somehow gotten on I-495 from either west or east and went off the interstate Bridge in Lowell. This bridge is just south of the railroad bridge. Her car could have broken apart if it went off here and flowed possibly in parts the short distance under the railroad bridge to it's most current resting place.

Providing her car did not break up from going under the railroad bridge and assuming time and elements are what broke the vehicle in to parts, I see no points of entry north of the railroad bridge other than:
1) The corner of Denton & Billerica Streets and
2) The town owned lot located at 135 Billerica Street in Lowell, the area where her remains were found.

Imo, looking south at the railroad bridge from the corner of Denton & Billerica (street view), it just doesn't seem possible, to me, that a car could fit (in tact) through the pilings supporting the bridge.

I could be totally wrong and way off but I'm assuming her vehicle went into the river north of the railroad bridge solely because her remains were located not far from her vehicle.

Thoughts, opinions & alternative scenarios are welcome.

Great work!

 

[Holmes2016]

Which guy? James Debardeleben? I've somehow lost the article about the Secret Service in DC calling the Billerica police. Was it consistent with JD's MO to try and hide his victims like pushing their car into a river?

Her mistake was hanging around in billerica.

 

[Bit of hope]

RIP Judith, sincere condolences to family and friends.

 

[Bit of hope]

Editorial: Chartier find hopeful sign for other cold cases – Lowell Sun

With the remains of the 17-year-old and her car recovered, the next step will be to determine a cause of death, according to a press release from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office on Friday.

That could disclose whether her death was an accident or the result of foul play.

Her vehicle was found in just 10 feet of water, about 15 to 20 yards from shore, in an area of the river located about a mile from the Chartier home.

These startling developments filled in key pieces of the puzzle that had kept Chartier’s disappearance a cold, frustrating case since the day she went missing — June 5, 1982.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Ryan said it’s not known if the present landscape and state of the river match the description of the area at the time of Chartier’s disappearance.

As part of the investigation, Ryan said authorities will track down people who might know what the area was like back then to see how the car could have gotten into the river.

While we certainly hope that further inroads into the how and why of Judith Chartier’s death occur, at least her brother and others finally have some measure of closure....

 

[ctmom]

Great work!

Thank you.
Obviously these maps are subject to change with more information.
Google Earth Pro does go back to 1985 but, sadly, the images are very blurry.
Its gonna take a lot of going back into historical records, landscape wise, to know the river's access points back then.
I've wondered if perhaps she went "parking" with someone after the party somewhere along the river, her car somehow entered the river accidentally & that other person was able to escape but not Judy.
Again... we need people who know anything or anyone involved to come forward & tell what they know.

 

[Teesside]

My gut feeling is she went off the road on her own in an accident
So tragic, but at least her brother will have closure - and whether foul play was involved - fairly shortly
RIP Judith

 

[MadMcGoo]

So very tragic. Rest peacefully now Judith.

 

[Dontknow?]

How Judy Chartier was found after 39 years

What DID happen is a pretty remarkable story. It turns out that Judy’s case touched the lives of many people who never met her, but who were determined to try to find her.

Among them is Bruce Stebbins of Billerica. He owns a high-tech underwater drone and he likes to locate things underwater. He was drawn to Judy’s case by a friend who has a lot of knowledge about the Judy Chartier disappearance and other unsolved crimes in the murder. They came up with a list of locations for Bruce to use his underwater drone.

Hans Hug of Exeter, N.H. is a scuba diver who owns an EdgeTech side scan sonar. Bruce teamed up with Hans and, in late August, they began to search a section of the Concord River in Billerica. Hans’ sonar turned up a few areas that needed to be searched further.

In September, Bruce dropped his underwater drone into the murky waters of the Concord River. They found four cars. The fourth car resembled a Dodge Dart. That’s the make and model of Judy’s car.

How Judy Chartier was found after 39 years

 

[155etta]

How Judy Chartier was found after 39 years

What DID happen is a pretty remarkable story. It turns out that Judy’s case touched the lives of many people who never met her, but who were determined to try to find her.

Among them is Bruce Stebbins of Billerica. He owns a high-tech underwater drone and he likes to locate things underwater. He was drawn to Judy’s case by a friend who has a lot of knowledge about the Judy Chartier disappearance and other unsolved crimes in the murder. They came up with a list of locations for Bruce to use his underwater drone.

Hans Hug of Exeter, N.H. is a scuba diver who owns an EdgeTech side scan sonar. Bruce teamed up with Hans and, in late August, they began to search a section of the Concord River in Billerica. Hans’ sonar turned up a few areas that needed to be searched further.

In September, Bruce dropped his underwater drone into the murky waters of the Concord River. They found four cars. The fourth car resembled a Dodge Dart. That’s the make and model of Judy’s car.

How Judy Chartier was found after 39 years

FOUR cars?! Holy cow.

 

[wary]

FOUR cars?! Holy cow.

I wish it said more about the other cars! Hope they checked the VINs and made sure none of them were associated with a crime or disappearance.

 

[evilwise]

Four cars in the same place in the river says to me that it was a natural place for heavy debris to be swept to. Interesting that it is just downstream of a bridge with significant pilings.

 

[Dontknow?]

Finding Judy Chartier: A New England's Unsolved Special with Bob Ward

 

[LucyOso]

RIP Judy!

 

[McSpy]

So, is it possible she drove off the bridge accidently?

I think she fell asleep at the wheel and went off the road into the water. She left that party at 2AM. Plus, she had been drinking all night at a party. I believe she didn’t know her limits. Anyone of us could have made this mistake at that tender age.

 

[Richard]

Judith Chartier, age 17
Went missing 5 June 1982

 

[MajorHoople]

Finding Judy Chartier: A New England's Unsolved Special with Bob Ward | Boston 25 News

Boston 25 News - Nov 19, 2021