NJ NJ - Lorraine Rea Herbster, 17, Westampton Twnshp, 9 Mar 1979
- Thread starter Richard
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DAnthrplgst
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Hi Richard
I live near Westhampton, where Lori disappeared. Two of my older brothers actually knew her. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any developments in her case in years. The Westhampton PD is just as incompetent today as they were back when she disappeared. From what I understand, the PD has had a person of interest in their sights for years but because her body has never surfaced they haven't been able to pursue the case beyond it being a missing person case. Here is what I know about the case, the source being my two brothers and their friends.
1. After she was dropped off, she was spotted by a driver on Beverly-Rancocas Rd, walking towards her home.
2. The stretch of road where she disappeared from was heavily wooded at the time; my brother's described it as a perfect location to abduct someone because there were no houses there at the time and it was dark.
3. The road where she disappeared forms the border of an indian reservation. The police wanted to search the reservation for her body but the tribe refused to allow the police on the property, they still refuse to this day to allow any searches on the reservation. One rumor that circulated was that a resident of the reservation had seen her walking along the road and he kidnapped her and brought her onto the reservation, killed her and buried the body out there. There is no proof of this happening but it became a viable story when the tribe refused to allow police to search the reservation for her body.
4. The other rumor, regarding her being killed and dumped at a construction site. The police were never able to verify the story because the Westhampton PD at the time consisted of 4 patrolmen and two cruisers and there was A LOT of development going on in the area at that time. A huge development called Tarnsfield was being built on the road where she disappeared from and a seperate development was just being started a little father up the road from the location of her disappearance. The police were unable to verify the construction site story simply because there weren't enough police to search the construction sites in that area.
Now, I'm supposing your next question may be: "well, if they didn't have enough police why didn't they call in reinforcements?" The answer to that question is because Westhampton PD has always had an inferiority complex because the township is surrounded by several larger towns, not to mention they are next to the county seat, who has a large detective division. The simple fact of the matter is that Westhampton PD didn't want to be outdone on the case by a neighboring police department or the state police so they never asked for assistance from any other agency, insisting they could handle it on their own. To this day, the Westhampton PD has never been able to live down the Herbster disappearance.
andthisismykindofluv
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Bumping for Lorraine hoping her family and friends get some answers soon.
apearn
Paratrooper John Doe, May 1984, Florida #UP1254
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http://doenetwork.org/cases/878ufny.html
Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: May 18, 2006
Location of Discovery: Port Jervis, Orange Co, New York
Estimated Date of Death: 1995 or earlier
State of Remains: Partial Skeletal Remains (Human cranium was recovered. Teeth are missing, as is the mandible. No other bones were recovered)
Cause of Death: Undetermined
Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate
Estimated Year of Birth: 1955-1965
Estimated Age: 25-50 years
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
The age is way off. It caught my eye though.
Unidentified Female
Date of Discovery: May 18, 2006
Location of Discovery: Port Jervis, Orange Co, New York
Estimated Date of Death: 1995 or earlier
State of Remains: Partial Skeletal Remains (Human cranium was recovered. Teeth are missing, as is the mandible. No other bones were recovered)
Cause of Death: Undetermined
Physical Description
** Listed information is approximate
Estimated Year of Birth: 1955-1965
Estimated Age: 25-50 years
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
The age is way off. It caught my eye though.
Dionysia
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This UID was found in 1982:
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/1513
Age range is right, hair color is right, weight is off by 20 lbs, height is off a couple of inches.
I was struck by the picture here though:
http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1102461/1/screen
As compared to the one of Lori.
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/1513
Age range is right, hair color is right, weight is off by 20 lbs, height is off a couple of inches.
I was struck by the picture here though:
http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1102461/1/screen
As compared to the one of Lori.
scriptgirl
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Was she dropped off in a rough area?
Jondalar45
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Is that the only picture they have?
Bit of hope
Life is a long lesson in humility.
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Just for the record...this Jane Doe is identified: Cynthia Joan Gastelle RIP.
folieadeuxnola
70's-80's Jane Doe's
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Lorraine “Lori” Rea Herbster
Last Contact: Friday, March 9th, 1979
Missing From: Westampton Township (Mount Holly), Burlington County, New Jersey
Physical Description:
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 17 Years Old
DOB: 01/16/62
Height: 5’4” (64”)
Weight: 125 lbs.
Hair: Light Brown
Eye Color: Green
Clothing: Blue jeans, white coat sweater hoodie w/belted tieback W/6” brown/beige design across the chest, knee socks, brown hiking boots Sz 8-1/2, part suede and leather w/ripple soles, large reddish/brown suede shoulder bag w/zipper across top
Jewelry: Thin gold necklace, diamond/brown quartz cat eye ring, unknown earrings
Characteristics/Medical/Scars: Pierced ears, fair complexion
Transportation:
Fingerprint Status: Not Available
Dental Status: Available
DNA Status: Available
Circumstances:
Lori left her job at Microcircuit Corp 192 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ @ 4:00 pm on Friday, March 9th, 1979. Lori was dropped off by a co-worker at the intersection of Beverly-Rancocas Road and Holly Lane just (6) blocks from her residence at 12 Whitlow Drive (Tarnsfield Development) Westampton, NJ.
Lori had planned to meet her mother that day, she was going to give Lori a ride to the bank to open an account however she never arrived. Lori also would regularly babysit for a neighbor on Friday nights, her mother had assumed Lori had went there and possibly spent the night. The following morning Lori had not returned home her mother contacted LE and reported her missing.
LE staged a road block Tuesday, March 13th, 1979 at the entrance to the Tarnsfield housing development and questioned passing motorists for possible leads in Lori’s disappearance.
One witness account did state Lori was seen walking on Beverly-Rancocas towards her home at @ 5:15 pm.
LE searched the family’s backyard and several other paths and properties with cadaver with no results.
Lori’s family described her as shy girl with a an outwardly tough appearance but love to ride bicycles and played the flute. Lori had dropped out of school in her Junior year and was engaged and was planning her wedding, unfortunately the relationship dissolved in Dec 1978.
Six months after Lori’s disappearance her family relocated to Huntsville, Alabama. Living in their home in NJ was a constant haunting reminder of Lori with a new job opportunity offer it was decided for them to move.
By 1984 the case had turned cold with no new leads and LE put the case aside after hitting a brick wall. In 1987 the case was reopened after LE had received (4) phone calls from men claiming to have information about Herbster’s fate. LE stated the callers made appointments to speak with them in person but never showed up.
In March 1989 two of Lori’s close friends erected a bill board in her memory “Missing But Remembered”. The two friends are determined to find out what happened to Lori and bring her killer to justice.
In 2013 the investigator that took over Lori’s case revealed that there was once a person of interest that was questioned at least once during the investigation. However, due to a lack of evidence no charges could be filed.
Lori’s family had engaged with a psychic that told them she was in a car that drove past the house and that she was trying to get out but couldn’t and that she is never coming home.
Investigating Agencies:
Westampton Township Police Department
710 Rancocas Road
Westampton, NJ 08060
Tele: 609.267.3000
Contact: Dt Robert Austin
MP Case # H0258854
Web: Westampton Township Police
Information Sources:
NAMUS
MP Case # 4585: Missing Person Case
Case Manager: Pamela Reed
Tele: 817.666.5432
E-Mail: Pamela.Reed@unthsc.edu
The Charley Project - Vali Elizabeth Davis – The Charley Project
Doe Network Case # 1412DFNJ - The Doe Network: Case File 1412DFNJ
NCMEC # 1158939 - Have you seen this child? LORRAINE HERBSTER
California Dept of Justice - Lorraine Herbster
News/Blogs:
03/14/79 – Courier Post
04/18/79 – Courier Post
03/07/87 – Courier Post
03/09/89 – Courier Post
05/25/90 – Courier Post
07/18/01 – Burlington Co Times - One happy ending; others still missing
08/07/01 – Philadelphia Daily News
11/11/10 – NBC 10 - Cold Case: What Happened to Lori?
12/03/03 – Burlington Co Times
03/11/13 – Burlington Co Times - Lori Herbster's disappearance still cold more than three decades on
Last Contact: Friday, March 9th, 1979
Missing From: Westampton Township (Mount Holly), Burlington County, New Jersey
Physical Description:
Race: White
Sex: Female
Age: 17 Years Old
DOB: 01/16/62
Height: 5’4” (64”)
Weight: 125 lbs.
Hair: Light Brown
Eye Color: Green
Clothing: Blue jeans, white coat sweater hoodie w/belted tieback W/6” brown/beige design across the chest, knee socks, brown hiking boots Sz 8-1/2, part suede and leather w/ripple soles, large reddish/brown suede shoulder bag w/zipper across top
Jewelry: Thin gold necklace, diamond/brown quartz cat eye ring, unknown earrings
Characteristics/Medical/Scars: Pierced ears, fair complexion
Transportation:
Fingerprint Status: Not Available
Dental Status: Available
DNA Status: Available
Circumstances:
Lori left her job at Microcircuit Corp 192 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ @ 4:00 pm on Friday, March 9th, 1979. Lori was dropped off by a co-worker at the intersection of Beverly-Rancocas Road and Holly Lane just (6) blocks from her residence at 12 Whitlow Drive (Tarnsfield Development) Westampton, NJ.
Lori had planned to meet her mother that day, she was going to give Lori a ride to the bank to open an account however she never arrived. Lori also would regularly babysit for a neighbor on Friday nights, her mother had assumed Lori had went there and possibly spent the night. The following morning Lori had not returned home her mother contacted LE and reported her missing.
LE staged a road block Tuesday, March 13th, 1979 at the entrance to the Tarnsfield housing development and questioned passing motorists for possible leads in Lori’s disappearance.
One witness account did state Lori was seen walking on Beverly-Rancocas towards her home at @ 5:15 pm.
LE searched the family’s backyard and several other paths and properties with cadaver with no results.
Lori’s family described her as shy girl with a an outwardly tough appearance but love to ride bicycles and played the flute. Lori had dropped out of school in her Junior year and was engaged and was planning her wedding, unfortunately the relationship dissolved in Dec 1978.
Six months after Lori’s disappearance her family relocated to Huntsville, Alabama. Living in their home in NJ was a constant haunting reminder of Lori with a new job opportunity offer it was decided for them to move.
By 1984 the case had turned cold with no new leads and LE put the case aside after hitting a brick wall. In 1987 the case was reopened after LE had received (4) phone calls from men claiming to have information about Herbster’s fate. LE stated the callers made appointments to speak with them in person but never showed up.
In March 1989 two of Lori’s close friends erected a bill board in her memory “Missing But Remembered”. The two friends are determined to find out what happened to Lori and bring her killer to justice.
In 2013 the investigator that took over Lori’s case revealed that there was once a person of interest that was questioned at least once during the investigation. However, due to a lack of evidence no charges could be filed.
Lori’s family had engaged with a psychic that told them she was in a car that drove past the house and that she was trying to get out but couldn’t and that she is never coming home.
Investigating Agencies:
Westampton Township Police Department
710 Rancocas Road
Westampton, NJ 08060
Tele: 609.267.3000
Contact: Dt Robert Austin
MP Case # H0258854
Web: Westampton Township Police
Information Sources:
NAMUS
MP Case # 4585: Missing Person Case
Case Manager: Pamela Reed
Tele: 817.666.5432
E-Mail: Pamela.Reed@unthsc.edu
The Charley Project - Vali Elizabeth Davis – The Charley Project
Doe Network Case # 1412DFNJ - The Doe Network: Case File 1412DFNJ
NCMEC # 1158939 - Have you seen this child? LORRAINE HERBSTER
California Dept of Justice - Lorraine Herbster
News/Blogs:
03/14/79 – Courier Post
04/18/79 – Courier Post
03/07/87 – Courier Post
03/09/89 – Courier Post
05/25/90 – Courier Post
07/18/01 – Burlington Co Times - One happy ending; others still missing
08/07/01 – Philadelphia Daily News
11/11/10 – NBC 10 - Cold Case: What Happened to Lori?
12/03/03 – Burlington Co Times
03/11/13 – Burlington Co Times - Lori Herbster's disappearance still cold more than three decades on
folieadeuxnola
70's-80's Jane Doe's
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Oopss .... see I made an error here is Lori's Charley link
Lorraine Rea Herbster – The Charley Project
Lesson learned focus only on one case at a time.
Lorraine Rea Herbster – The Charley Project
Lesson learned focus only on one case at a time.
Have you seen this child?
Found with knee high socks and 8 1/2 sized shoes. All other descriptions match (age, height, weight)
Found with knee high socks and 8 1/2 sized shoes. All other descriptions match (age, height, weight)
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Topias0118
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Welcome to Ws Topias0118!
The bit i found interesting about the UID you suggested, is that she wore nail polish only on her right hand fingernails.
Lorraine Rea Herbster
Missing since March 9, 1979 from Westampton Township, New Jersey.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
- Date Of Birth: January 16, 1962
- Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
- Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 125 lbs.
- Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; green eyes.
- Clothing: Blue jeans, blouse, white coat sweater with a belt tied in the back and a hood folded over the back, knee socks, brown hiking boots, part suede, part leather, size 81/2. Carrying a reddish-brown suede shoulder bag with a zipper on the top
- Jewelry: Known to be wearing a diamond or brown quartz cats eye ring and a thin gold chain necklace
- Dentals: Available
- DNA: Available
- Nickname/Alias: Lori
Herbster was last seen on March 9, 1979 in Westampton Township, NJ, while walking home from her new job at a Mount Holly electronics firm. Her car and purse were found in her Westampton front yard following her disappearance.
Police have never been able to substantiate persistent rumors she was slain and her body dumped at a local construction site.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Westampton Township Police Department
609-267-8300
Agency Case Number: H0258854/NamUs MP#4585
NCIC Number: M306637948
NCMEC Number: NCMC1158939
Source Information:
NamUs
NCMEC
California Department of Justice
Burlington Times
New Jersey State Police
Times, The (Trenton, NJ) - Tuesday, August 20, 1996
The Doe Network: Case File 1412DFNJ
chaddylex
Verified local - Rebecca Stahl case
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Lorraine Rea Herbster
Missing since March 9, 1979 from Westampton Township, New Jersey.
Classification: Endangered Missing
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Disappearance
- Date Of Birth: January 16, 1962
- Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
- Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 125 lbs.
- Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; green eyes.
- Clothing: Blue jeans, blouse, white coat sweater with a belt tied in the back and a hood folded over the back, knee socks, brown hiking boots, part suede, part leather, size 81/2. Carrying a reddish-brown suede shoulder bag with a zipper on the top
- Jewelry: Known to be wearing a diamond or brown quartz cats eye ring and a thin gold chain necklace
- Dentals: Available
- DNA: Available
- Nickname/Alias: Lori
Herbster was last seen on March 9, 1979 in Westampton Township, NJ, while walking home from her new job at a Mount Holly electronics firm. Her car and purse were found in her Westampton front yard following her disappearance.
Police have never been able to substantiate persistent rumors she was slain and her body dumped at a local construction site.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Westampton Township Police Department
609-267-8300
Agency Case Number: H0258854/NamUs MP#4585
NCIC Number: M306637948
NCMEC Number: NCMC1158939
Source Information:
NamUs
NCMEC
California Department of Justice
Burlington Times
New Jersey State Police
Times, The (Trenton, NJ) - Tuesday, August 20, 1996
The Doe Network: Case File 1412DFNJ
I am surprised that this UP hasn't been on Lorraine's rule out list and vice Versa.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
The UID was found on July 1, 1980 in Neptune NJ
Said to be between 20-30 (Lorriane was 17 when she went missing)
Height is a few inches off but I have seen it off more with matches
theshadow45
Well-Known Member
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Bumping for Lorraine, today is her birthday.
Lorraine Rea Herbster
Lorraine left her new job at Microcircuit Corp. at 4:00 p.m. on March 9, 1979. She was a lab technician and had been working there for only a week. A co-worker dropped her off at the corner of Beverly-Rancocas Road and Holly Lane in Westampton Township, New Jersey, less than a mile from her home in the 10 block of Whitlow Drive in Mount Holly, New Jersey, so she could walk the rest of the way.
Lorraine's mother had offered to drive her to the bank to cash her paycheck after she arrived home. She was last seen at 5:15 p.m. while en route to her house. She apparently never arrived there, but her purse was found in the front yard. Her car was also at home; she wasn't driving it as she didn't have her license yet.
Lorraine dropped out of Burlington County Vocational and Technical School in her junior year. She had been engaged to be married, but she broke up with her fiance at Christmas in 1978. She liked her job and she was looking forward to getting her driver's license.
Investigators don't believe she left of her own accord, since she left all her belongings behind at home, including her paycheck. On the day of her disappearance, her mother was supposed to take her to the bank so she could open her own bank account.
Investigators interviewed Lorraine's family members, friends and ex-boyfriends, but all of them were cleared from suspicion and the authorities couldn't determine any reason why someone would want to harm her. After her disappearance there were persistent rumors that she was murdered and her body dumped at a local construction site. Police were never able to substantiate the stories, however.
They have a person of interest in her disappearance, but this individual has never been charged due to lack of evidence. Lorraine's case remains unsolved. Her family now lives in Alabama.
LINK:
Lorraine Rea Herbster – The Charley Project
- Missing Since 03/09/1979
- Missing From Westampton Township, New Jersey
- ClassificationEndangered Missing
- SexFemale
- RaceWhite
- Date of Birth 01/16/1962 (58)
- Age 17 years old
- Height and Weight 5'4, 125 pounds
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Lorraine's nickname is Lori. Her ears are pierced.
Lorraine left her new job at Microcircuit Corp. at 4:00 p.m. on March 9, 1979. She was a lab technician and had been working there for only a week. A co-worker dropped her off at the corner of Beverly-Rancocas Road and Holly Lane in Westampton Township, New Jersey, less than a mile from her home in the 10 block of Whitlow Drive in Mount Holly, New Jersey, so she could walk the rest of the way.
Lorraine's mother had offered to drive her to the bank to cash her paycheck after she arrived home. She was last seen at 5:15 p.m. while en route to her house. She apparently never arrived there, but her purse was found in the front yard. Her car was also at home; she wasn't driving it as she didn't have her license yet.
Lorraine dropped out of Burlington County Vocational and Technical School in her junior year. She had been engaged to be married, but she broke up with her fiance at Christmas in 1978. She liked her job and she was looking forward to getting her driver's license.
Investigators don't believe she left of her own accord, since she left all her belongings behind at home, including her paycheck. On the day of her disappearance, her mother was supposed to take her to the bank so she could open her own bank account.
Investigators interviewed Lorraine's family members, friends and ex-boyfriends, but all of them were cleared from suspicion and the authorities couldn't determine any reason why someone would want to harm her. After her disappearance there were persistent rumors that she was murdered and her body dumped at a local construction site. Police were never able to substantiate the stories, however.
They have a person of interest in her disappearance, but this individual has never been charged due to lack of evidence. Lorraine's case remains unsolved. Her family now lives in Alabama.
LINK:
Lorraine Rea Herbster – The Charley Project