NJ Joyce Coleman, 28, Long Valley, 27 Feb 1970

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

https://imgur.com/a/nSh1yU4

Joyce Theresa Coleman (née Minchin)
Born: 16 Dec 1942, Fanwood, NJ
Married: Wayne Corbett Coleman (1941-2020), Nov 1966, Fanwood, NJ

Death:
Late night or early morning, 27/28 Feb 1970, in the rec room of her home at 245 Bartley Rd, Long Valley, NJ. Joyce was 6 months pregnant at the time; she had one son, Wayne, who was 14 months old. Her husband was a trucker and was working late at the time. He tried calling home but got a busy signal. At 1:45 AM, he arrived home to find her stabbed and unresponsive and called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy ruled the cause of death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head and face and found no evidence of sexual assault, with post-mortem cuts to the neck. Investigators found a fireplace poker and a hunting knife at the scene, and while it was determined to likely be a burglary, they noted no signs of forced entry or struggle, although the whole house was ransacked, firearms and ammunition were stolen. 14-month-old Wayne was unharmed; sadly, he died 2 years later of accidental magnesium cyanide poisoning after accidentally ingesting ant poison. The house had just been sold due to her husband's upcoming job transfer. The case was opened 20 years later, receiving new leads but making little progress.

Sources:
Suspect Murder Map
Patch: 28 Murders Still Unsolved in Morris County (5 Apr 2018)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Mother Slain In Long Valley (27 Feb 1970)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 1)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 19)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Police Hit 'Blank Wall' In Slaying (2 Mar 1970)
Daily Press (Newport News, VA): Boy, 3, Dies of Poisoning
Daily Record (Morristown, NJ): 20-year-old murder case gets new look (12 Mar 1990)

 

[rob525]

This quite close to my house actually. However, I don't think I have ever heard about this. I am guessing the original house was demoed to make room for Palmer Park.

 

[foxface29]

https://imgur.com/a/nSh1yU4

Joyce Theresa Coleman (née Minchin)
Born: 16 Dec 1942, Fanwood, NJ
Married: Wayne Corbett Coleman (1941-2020), Nov 1966, Fanwood, NJ

Death:
Late night or early morning, 27/28 Feb 1970, in the rec room of her home at 245 Bartley Rd, Long Valley, NJ. Joyce was 6 months pregnant at the time; she had one son, Wayne, who was 14 months old. Her husband was a trucker and was working late at the time. He tried calling home but got a busy signal. At 1:45 AM, he arrived home to find her stabbed and unresponsive and called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy ruled the cause of death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head and face and found no evidence of sexual assault, with post-mortem cuts to the neck. Investigators found a fireplace poker and a hunting knife at the scene, and while it was determined to likely be a burglary, they noted no signs of forced entry or struggle, although the whole house was ransacked, firearms and ammunition were stolen. 14-month-old Wayne was unharmed; sadly, he died 2 years later of accidental magnesium cyanide poisoning after accidentally ingesting ant poison. The house had just been sold due to her husband's upcoming job transfer. The case was opened 20 years later, receiving new leads but making little progress.

Sources:
Suspect Murder Map
Patch: 28 Murders Still Unsolved in Morris County (5 Apr 2018)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Mother Slain In Long Valley (27 Feb 1970)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 1)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 19)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Police Hit 'Blank Wall' In Slaying (2 Mar 1970)
Daily Press (Newport News, VA): Boy, 3, Dies of Poisoning
Daily Record (Morristown, NJ): 20-year-old murder case gets new look (12 Mar 1990)

Sounds like a brutal burglary. Rest in peace to her and her son.

Am I the only one who can't reach the newspaper links? Says it can't be found. Can't find it online either.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

This quite close to my house actually. However, I don't think I have ever heard about this. I am guessing the original house was demoed to make room for Palmer Park.

I haven't either. I grew up 15-20 min down 513. Looks like the husband was transferred (as expected) shortly after, to Williamsburg, VA, soon remarried, never moved back to Jersey. Seems like his alibi checked out immediately because he was never considered a suspect. As sparsely-populated as Long Valley/Washington Twp is now, it was only a third as populated back then... The list of possible suspects couldn't have been that long.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sounds like a brutal burglary. Rest in peace to her and her son.

Am I the only one who can't reach the newspaper links? Says it can't be found. Can't find it online either.

I'll save the articles as images and upload them (probably later on)... I thought articles from Newspaper skipped the paywall if you clipped them, but they don't.

 

[foxface29]

I'll save the articles as images and upload them (probably later on)... I thought articles from Newspaper skipped the paywall if you clipped them, but they don't.

Ah, I see. Thank you!

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

This quite close to my house actually. However, I don't think I have ever heard about this. I am guessing the original house was demoed to make room for Palmer Park.

Looks like the house is gone now and the lot is just a wooded area next to the golf course.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sources:
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Mother Slain In Long Valley (27 Feb 1970)

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sources:
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 1)
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Clues Uncovered in Slaying of Long Valley Housewife (28 Feb 1970, Page 19)

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sources:
The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ): Police Hit 'Blank Wall' In Slaying (2 Mar 1970)

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sources:
Daily Press (Newport News, VA): Boy, 3, Dies of Poisoning

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Sources:
Daily Record (Morristown, NJ): 20-year-old murder case gets new look (12 Mar 1990)

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

Am I the only one who can't reach the newspaper links?

I'll save the articles as images and upload them.

There you go.

 

[rob525]

I wonder if that fireplace poker is still in an evidence locker somewhere and could be tested for DNA?
I wonder if they ever established a time of death?
Lastly, this location would be mere steps away from where Siegfried Woelki disappeared in 1984. Not saying there is a connection. Just that this is, even today, not a heavily populated /travelled area and would likely have been pretty remote in 1969-1984. For two incidents to happen that close together seems uncanny.

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

I wonder if that fireplace poker is still in an evidence locker somewhere and could be tested for DNA?
I wonder if they ever established a time of death?
Lastly, this location would be mere steps away from where Siegfried Woelki disappeared in 1984. Not saying there is a connection. Just that this is, even today, not a heavily populated /travelled area and would likely have been pretty remote in 1969-1984. For two incidents to happen that close together seems uncanny.

They do have evidence in storage, which (I would assume) includes the poker and the knife. It might be tough to get the burglar's DNA, since there wasn't a struggle... Maybe sweat? Unless they were wearing gloves... It was winter. If not, since the place was ransacked and firearms/ammo looted, I'm sure they found prints. Possibly from the doorknob also... Since no acquaintances were implicated, the door was probably unlocked. (Hell, ours were all the time.) It's a shame she didn't get to the guns quicker (maybe they were in the basement rec room and she ran down there).

I thought about the Woelki disappearance also, but didn't notice how close together they actually were... They were literally next door (the packing house he worked at was demoed when they built Palmer Park), 12 years apart. I hesitate to say that the location is anything more than a coincidence, but it's certainly possible.

 

[rob525]

They do have evidence in storage, which (I would assume) includes the poker and the knife. It might be tough to get the burglar's DNA, since there wasn't a struggle... Maybe sweat? Unless they were wearing gloves... It was winter. If not, since the place was ransacked and firearms/ammo looted, I'm sure they found prints. Possibly from the doorknob also... Since no acquaintances were implicated, the door was probably unlocked. (Hell, ours were all the time.) It's a shame she didn't get to the guns quicker (maybe they were in the basement rec room and she ran down there).

I thought about the Woelki disappearance also, but didn't notice how close together they actually were... They were literally next door (the packing house he worked at was demoed when they built Palmer Park), 12 years apart. I hesitate to say that the location is anything more than a coincidence, but it's certainly possible.

The one idea that struck me was; suppose there was someone living semi-locally that was an all around bad guy, not afraid to resort to crime when the need or mood struck. Very likely not the case but I am curious if the backgrounds of the locals were ever looked into closely (even years later).

 

[Aegon_the_Conqueror]

The one idea that struck me was; suppose there was someone living semi-locally that was an all around bad guy, not afraid to resort to crime when the need or mood struck. Very likely not the case but I am curious if the backgrounds of the locals were ever looked into closely (even years later).

I think the area is so sparsely-populated that they couldn't find a pattern. The cops were completely dumbfounded from the start because they had no direction to go in; they seemed to know that it was hopeless after less than a month. The towns around here often go several years without a single homicide, so forget about questioning a similar criminal about that aspect... I can imagine she ran for the gun, so he knocked her out with the poker, then finished her so she couldn't ID him for attempted murder. If he was a career thief, they certainly would've noticed pattern right away. He was probably opportunistic, or was passing through. Jurisdictions couldn't communicate as well back then, and since he knew that he now had LE's attention, all he would've had to do was avoid Long Valley for his occasional burglaries. Let's say he waited several months or a year for the heat to die down. Then he robs a home in Califon; a month later, Hackettstown. Nobody was home either time. 3 towns in a row, 3 different countries. Think anyone would make the connection?

 

[StarrChance]

Most likely the answer is closer to home…
March 1990

 

[StarrChance]

Last paragraphs are concerning

 

[rob525]

Last paragraphs are concerningView attachment 637328

I see what you are saying with the last paragraphs. When I first read about the child dying a couple years later, I thought that a bit concerning. However, it could be just an unfortunate coincidence. I do not see an issue with a father requesting payment on an insurance policy. If the policy had been taken out weeks or 1-2 months prior to the death, that may raise some eyebrows.

I asked earlier about an established time of death. I was wondering about WCs arrival home, call to the police and what time he actually left work. I see that the article is stating 11:30-1:00 am. The trip from Newark area to that address would seemingly take 45-60 minutes depending upon the exact location in Newark etc. If he left at 12:30 am, that puts him home around 1:15. If the earlier article of 1:45 am for police contact is accurate, that would give 30 minutes to commit the crime and clean himself up. Of course he may have left work earlier than 12:30 since his shift ended at 12:00 apparently.

It feels like the perpetrator may have been familiar with the husbands work schedule and I still wonder more and more if this was not the work of a local. Someone who had done this before ( as the previous poster stated, in various unconnected locations) , who knew about the guns and was evil enough that he would murder a pregnant woman to avoid getting caught ( which does not explain the anger displayed and described by John Douglas). When looking at the aerials from 1984 in the Woelki case, this area was remote. I just don't know about someone "passing through" even today, there is no where to pass through to ( even more so in 1970).