Found Deceased NJ - Gary Parker, 67 & Lorraine, 60, riding ATV in Pine Barrens, Warren Grove, Stafford, 22 Nov 2021

[sjinnj]

Pine Barrens search: Two ATV riders missing from Stafford NJ (app.com)

STAFFORD — A massive search is underway for a married couple who went into the Pine Barrens on all-terrain vehicles and failed to return, authorities said.

Stafford police identified the missing people as Gary and Lorraine Parker.

Gary Parker, 67, and Lorraine Parker, 60, live on Cedar Bridge Road in the Warren Grove section of the township, according to public records.

 

[sjinnj]

Missing Stafford NJ couple case handed to detectives, prosecutor (app.com)

STAFFORD — After more than 100 people searched the woods Wednesday near Lorraine and Gary Parker's Warren Grove home without finding them, the Stafford Police Department handed the case to its detectives and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

An ATV owned by the couple was located Tuesday, their daughter reported on Facebook and the police confirmed.

"As of 8 am my parents quad has been found along with my fathers shotgun which was strapped to it. Still no sign of either of my parents", Lindsay Parker wrote.

The police added that the ATV was discovered near the couple's home and have confirmed there was only one quad involved.

 

[modesty blaise]

maybe they never left home on the quad.
Sounds really suspicious.

 

[spyblond]

STAFFORD — After more than 100 people searched the woods Wednesday near Lorraine and Gary Parker's Warren Grove home without finding them, the Stafford Police Department handed the case to its detectives and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Hmmmm... Is it normal for a case to be handed over to the prosecutor's office this early on? I feel like this only happens when potential criminal activity is deemed to be involved.

 

[Shamrock1]

The shotgun strapped to ATV seems slightly curious to me. I wonder if it was their habit to leave it unattended and whether they usually took it on their rides. NJ’s gun laws are extremely strict - this wouldn’t be unusual in other states. LE said the couple was not hunting - link below.

Did they usually ride on one ATV together?

LE looking for information only - not for search help. Warren Grove Couple Still Missing | The SandPaper

JMO.

 

[bykerladi]

Its not uncommon for cases to be turned over to the prosecutors office almost immediately. Especially in rural areas like Stafford.

 

[Filly]

I wonder if it was their habit to leave it unattended and whether they usually took it on their rides. NJ’s gun laws are extremely strict - this wouldn’t be unusual in other states. LE said the couple was not hunting - link below.



JMO.

Wow. All they went through in that State to have that firearm legal? If so. Plus still why would they leave it unattended?

Deer here now. Still nobody would leave a firearm unattended.

Hoping this couple is O.K.

 

[j_in_c]

Updated article but no new information unfortunately:
New Jersey couple missing for more than a week, could be lost in wooded area: police

 

[Shamrock1]

I thought about it more and the shotgun seems slightly more than slightly curious now. This just isn’t a state where there’s a culture of bringing a weapon everywhere. Concealed carry permits are theoretically available, but in practice they are virtually never granted (maybe for former LE). LE said they were not hunting. Did they bring along a shotgun when just out for a ride? I’m not an expert on Pine Barrens wildlife, but I think the most dangerous thing out there are the ticks, with rabid raccoons/coyotes and black bears (I think black bears are mostly central & northern NJ?) far, far behind.

Not many couples in their 60s on ATVs, so I imagine someone would remember seeing them.

JMO.

 

[bykerladi]

Right. Guns are not common here - legal guns, that is. And hunting rifles have lots of rules you have to follow. We don't really have a lot of bears down here. Probably less than 5 incidents a year. I go to the pine barrens all the time and NEVER bring a gun. My dad hunts, and often goes out without a gun. Ticks aren't as active this time of year. Chiggers might still be a problem, but we're used to it. Unless a fox or raccoon is rabid they won't bother you. So you only bring a gun if (1) you're hunting for deer, or (2) you're looking for trouble.

I just cheked our regs, and right now we're in bow season. So its not legal to hunt with a rifle right now.
Regulation Set #0 (nj.gov)

 

[Shamrock1]

Right. Guns are not common here - legal guns, that is. And hunting rifles have lots of rules you have to follow. We don't really have a lot of bears down here. Probably less than 5 incidents a year. I go to the pine barrens all the time and NEVER bring a gun. My dad hunts, and often goes out without a gun. Ticks aren't as active this time of year. Chiggers might still be a problem, but we're used to it. Unless a fox or raccoon is rabid they won't bother you. So you only bring a gun if (1) you're hunting for deer, or (2) you're looking for trouble.

I just cheked our regs, and right now we're in bow season. So its not legal to hunt with a rifle right now.
Regulation Set #0 (nj.gov)

Yup. And LE said they were not hunting. I’d add a third - if they’re super duper, in your face 2nd amendment folks and like to carry a shotgun wherever they go. But if that’s the case, they probably wouldn’t live in NJ in the first place. JMO.

(I might be over-thinking the shotgun.)

 

[MimosaMornings]

The ATV was found? So they didn’t take a ride into the pine barrens?

 

[sjinnj]

maybe they never left home on the quad.
Sounds really suspicious.

The police added that the ATV was discovered near the couple's home and have confirmed there was only one quad involved.

Missing Stafford NJ couple case handed to detectives, prosecutor (app.com)

 

[sjinnj]

Gary and Loraine Parker missing in the Pine Barrons (nypost.com)

Gary Parker, 67, and his wife Lorraine, 60, of Warren Grove, N.J., drove into the protected wilderness reserve that covers more than a million acres — but didn’t return, according to reports.

An official search began Tuesday. Their daughter, Lindsay Parker, posted that her parents were missing at 12:41 a.m. that morning. She wrote on Facebook later that day that her parents’ ATV was found near their home.

“My parents quad has been found along with my father’s shotgun which was strapped to it. Still no sign of either of my parents,” she wrote. “Their quad was found stuck in a field not far from their home that my dad has used for years to bait deer. Trail cam footage has nothing after footage captured last week.”

 

[Filly]

Right. Guns are not common here - legal guns, that is. And hunting rifles have lots of rules you have to follow. We don't really have a lot of bears down here. Probably less than 5 incidents a year. I go to the pine barrens all the time and NEVER bring a gun. My dad hunts, and often goes out without a gun. Ticks aren't as active this time of year. Chiggers might still be a problem, but we're used to it. Unless a fox or raccoon is rabid they won't bother you. So you only bring a gun if (1) you're hunting for deer, or (2) you're looking for trouble.

I just cheked our regs, and right now we're in bow season. So its not legal to hunt with a rifle right now.
Regulation Set #0 (nj.gov)

O.K my friend is supposedly in a baker tree stand with some sort of archery. I'd have no way on checking on that. Thanks @bykerladi.

Where can this couple be? I feel awful for their daughter.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Married couple in Stafford NJ goes missing: What we know

The police organized a massive sweep of the woods that included an extensive grid search by foot, ATVs, K-9s, drones and a helicopter.

The first day of the search was centered on the area around the couple's home on Cedar Bridge Road. On Wednesday, the operation focused on the woods between Route 539 and Warren Grove Road in Barnegat and Stafford townships. Authorities urged hunters in the area to be vigilant.

There has been no updates from the Stafford police since Wednesday evening.

 

[Gardenista]

Gary and Lorraine Parker Missing in Stafford Township, New Jersey

 

[SuziQ]

New Jersey has black bears. I would definitely take a shotgun with me in the woods there. And I would never leave it behind for the same reason! I don't think they would either. Imo, gun owners would not leave their guns behind unattended like that.

Moo.

 

[SuziQ]

Right. Guns are not common here - legal guns, that is. And hunting rifles have lots of rules you have to follow. We don't really have a lot of bears down here. Probably less than 5 incidents a year. I go to the pine barrens all the time and NEVER bring a gun. My dad hunts, and often goes out without a gun. Ticks aren't as active this time of year. Chiggers might still be a problem, but we're used to it. Unless a fox or raccoon is rabid they won't bother you. So you only bring a gun if (1) you're hunting for deer, or (2) you're looking for trouble.

I just cheked our regs, and right now we're in bow season. So its not legal to hunt with a rifle right now.
Regulation Set #0 (nj.gov)

Imo, five incidents A year is alot.

 

[realanastasia]

https://portal.njcourts.gov/ExternalPGPA/home.jsp

NJ court records turn up nothing for Lorraine and two nearly-30 year old cases (1992/1993) for someone matching Gary’s name and age and location, which makes my suspicion (that they could have been out in the Pine Barrens for a covert meeting/transaction with a person/persons) seem unlikely. I had thought about them meeting up with someone who posed as a buyer for their ATV or gun (like many folks do when they sell items on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist) or someone who offered to sell them something (like a gun or ATV) and claimed that the transaction should occur in the woods so they could first try out the item before purchasing it. I don’t know if someone with the type of criminal history that I found when I searched for Gary’s name in NJ court records would be able to buy or sell a gun lawfully in the Garden State—if they could do so lawfully, then there would be no need for a transaction of the type I am envisioning. Just hypothesizing here in the hopes that this couple can be located!