Jan Andre Cotta
Missing since June 26, 1973 from Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Classification: Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: March 26, 1954
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 118 - 125 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: She has a mole on lower right cheek. Crippled left foot, Included club foot. When Jan became tired her foot would turn left. Jan fractured her left wrist when she was 17 or 18 years-old when she fell from a horse.The fracture was described as not being severe, but it did require a cast. After a long day or when she was getting a cold her right eye would drop (Lazy eye).
Clothing: Blue Land Lubbers jeans, a white shirt with a blue design on it, brown loafers, and she was carrying a round tweed purse. Jewelry: A plain gold ring with the initials "JAC"; she also wears a gold ring with a blue topaz birthstone and 2 diamonds.
Medical: She was reportedly 5-7 months pregnant; she has asthma and possibly epilepsy. Jan had the measles that affected the hearing in her left ear. Prior to Jan's disappearance she used a hearing aid.She was approximately seven-years-old and used the hearing aid for about three months before she overcame deafness.
Dentals: Available. Jan had no dental work and her teeth were in very poor condition.
DNA: Available in CODIS
AKA: Jane Andrea Cotta
Circumstances of Disappearance
Cotta was last seen at her home in Wall Township, New Jersey on June 26, 1973.
She was an avid equestrian and was last seen at a barn tack house near the back of her family's property on Ridgewood Road.
Cotta and her family had lived in Spring Lake Heights before they moved to Wall, where Cotta began participating in the 4-H Club. In 1971, she was elected vice president of the Jumping Brook Riders 4-H Club. Horses were her passion. She rode for pleasure, was involved in competitions, went to training facilities.
She attended the Morven Park International Equestrian Institute in Leesburg, Va., and the Princeton Riding Academy. She provided riding lessons at her family's property on Ridgewood Road.
Cotta was last seen by her brother, and his friend between 11:30 p.m. and midnight on June 26, 1973. Soon after, a vehicle was seen leaving the farm and family members said Jan vanished.
The next day her mother reported Jan missing. An investigation into the disappearance was opened, and there was followup by police in the 1980s and 1990s.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Wall Township Police Department
Detective Joseph Wilbert
732-449-4500
Email:
jwilbert@wallpolice.org
NCMEC #: NCMA1005685
NCIC Number: M-564535067
Please refer to these numbers when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
Source Information:
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
New Jersey State Police
Asbury Park Press 3/27/07
The Doe Network: Case File 1654DFNJ
LINK:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1654dfnj.html