NJ NJ - Carolyn Majane, 15, Moorestown, 22 Aug 1975

[Angelcat13]

Just stopped by this thread to check for any updates. As several others have said - glad to see that people still come here and think about Carolyn. I don’t know if her parents/family check in here or if anyone here is in contact with them, but I hope they know that there are still people here who have not forgotten Carolyn and still pray for justice for her and her family.

 

[Find Brenda]

Thinking of Carolyn

 

[mere]

Burlington County you have had 45 years to get justice for Carolyn. DNA is not the only thing to solve these old cases. Try harder please.

 

[morf13]

You know, I highly doubt that the cases are related, but Margaret Ellen Fox was presumably abducted in June, 1974 from nearby Mt Holly. The distance is less than 10 miles away. There are some key differences I think. Just curious if there could be a predator that was in the area at the time. I brought this possibility up a longtime ago here, but with renewed interest in the cases, wondering of that angle has been looked at by anyone?

 

[Richard]

You know, I highly doubt that the cases are related, but Margaret Ellen Fox was presumably abducted in June, 1974 from nearby Mt Holly. The distance is less than 10 miles away. There are some key differences I think. Just curious if there could be a predator that was in the area at the time. I brought this possibility up a longtime ago here, but with renewed interest in the cases, wondering of that angle has been looked at by anyone?

Here is a link to the Margaret Ellen Fox thread on websleuths:
NJ - NJ - Margaret Fox, 14, Burlington, 24 June 1974

 

[Angelcat13]

I don't think the cases of Margaret Ellen Fox & Carolyn Majane are related, mostly because of the way they seemed to have disappeared. Margaret's abduction was clearly planned in advance by someone who took steps to avoid detection (fake name, phone number that came back to a pay phone, luring her out of her comfort area, with the promise of a job, etc). Since there was at least a week between the killer's first contact with Margaret and when she disappeared, I believe the person was local.

Carolyn didn't seem to have been lured - at least not in a more complicated way like Margaret. I feel like Carolyn's disappearance and murder were more likely a crime of opportunity. I've always had two possible scenarios. In both scenarios, I believe the person must be at least fairly local (Moorestown-Mount Laurel) because Main St in Moorestown was a quiet, "safe" area and there wouldn't have been anything to draw someone from out of the area to it - no bars (it was a dry town), entertainment, etc right in that area. And it is unlikely that anyone but someone local would have known about the place where she was found.

1. Someone offered her a ride - maybe someone she knew or thought she knew (like a sibling or relative of someone from school) or someone that came across as "nice" and trustworthy. She thought they were giving her a ride (or taking her to) a party and led her to believe that she would know other people there and would have fun.

2. She actually did go to a party at Texas Pond and was killed by someone else who was also at the party and waited until he could catch her alone.

If #2 happened, I can see why people may have stayed quiet back then - especially if they weren't supposed to be out partying - but I don't understand why, after all these years, someone has come forward to talk - unless they are afraid.

There is another case that I think could be related, even though it happened four years later - Lorraine Rea Herbster. Lorraine disappeared March 9, 1979 from Westampton, NJ. She was 17 years old. Both Lorraine and Carolyn were slender & pretty with long, straight hair. Lorraine disappeared after being dropped off after work by a co-worker. Some people found it suspicious that the co-worker did not take her home, and instead dropped her off at a corner for her to walk the rest of the way. However, it was said that it was snowing and the side roads into her neighborhood had not yet been plowed and Lori said she would walk the few blocks to her home. I know the area and it is possible that she was dropped off there so the co-worker could jump onto the Mount Holly (Route 541) Bypass and head towards their home. There was at least one person who said they saw her walking AFTER being dropped off.

I think the person involved in Lori's disappearance is also local, as it would seem odd that a non-local person would be on those side streets. Although Holly Ln (where she was dropped off) is a cut-through between Rancocas Rd and Woodlane Rd, most people that weren't from that neighborhood would take the Bypass - especially since the Bypass would have been more likely to have been at least somewhat plowed.

The distance between where Carolyn's remains were found (about 1800 ft from the Texas Pond "party spot") in only 5.7 miles from where Lori disappeared. I have attached two maps to show the area - #1 shows the distance between Texas Pond and where Carolyn's remains were found; #2 shows the distance (and possible route) between where Carolyn was found and where Lori disappeared. For those unfamiliar with this area, Google Maps will take you onto Route 295 to travel between the two areas as this is now the most direct route between the two places. However, up until just a couple of years ago you could go across the Centerton Bridge which was a quick cut-through between Mount Laurel and Westampton-Willingboro. This route was mostly used by locals since it is pretty much a "back way" and the bridge was an old, very narrow bridge low to the water that made a lot of people nervous to drive on. Locals loved it, though, and were very angry when it was closed to traffic after being inspectors felt it was unsafe and too expensive to repair.

Some people in this thread and elsewhere have wondered why the place was called Texas Pond. An interesting side note, if the cases of Carolyn and Lori are related and the killer used the Centerton Bridge to travel between the two areas, he would go right past Texas Ave - a little known side street, the last street on the right before the Centerton Bridge as you leave Mount Laurel, and probably where Texas Pond got it's name.

 

[Angelcat13]

Carolyn's mother, Elizabeth, passed away May 2nd, so mother and daughter have finally been reunited. Although I'm sure Elizabeth will be missed by her family and friends here on Earth, I hope they can find some comfort in knowing that mother and daughter are together in Heaven. Attached is Elizabeth's obituary. She sounds like she was an amazing woman!
Elizabeth Majane Obituary - Washington, DC

 

[mere]

Today marks 45 years since Carolyn disappeared. I am thinking of Carolyn, her family and those that knew and loved her.

 

[Richard]

Carolyn's mother, Elizabeth, passed away May 2nd, so mother and daughter have finally been reunited. Although I'm sure Elizabeth will be missed by her family and friends here on Earth, I hope they can find some comfort in knowing that mother and daughter are together in Heaven. Attached is Elizabeth's obituary. She sounds like she was an amazing woman!...

The linked obituary no longer works. Here is one that does:

ELIZABETH MAJANE - Obituary

 

[Richard]

Carolyn Majane, 15
1975 August 22 Moorestown, Burlington County, NJ

Cause of death: undetermined.

Forensic characteristics: Last seen at Friendly's and WaWa bars near the corner of Church St. and Main St. in Moorestown, on Aug 22, 1975. She left at 10:15 pm to go to a party and had not been seen since.

On December 20, 1985, skeletal remains were discovered in an area called in Mt. Laurel called "Texas Pond", a local hang hang-out in the woods during the construction of Timbercrest housing development in Mt. Laurel, just a couple miles away from where she disappeared. Children in the neighborhood found her skull while playing on a mound of excavated dirt which led to the rest of her remains.

In New Jersey during the 1970s teenage girls who were missing were typically presumed to be runaways. No investigation ever took place during the ten years Carolyn was missing.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Moorestown Township Police Department have been involved in a joint investigation surrounding the death of Carolyn Majane.

LINK:
Cases New Jersey Girl Murders 1960-1980

 

[mere]

46 years is a very long time. I still believe that Carolyn will one day get the justice that she deserves.

 

[sway]

47 years....

 

[Richard]

Carolyn Marie Majane​

BIRTH20 Oct 1959
Los Angeles County, California, USA
DEATH1975 (aged 15–16)
New Jersey, USA
BURIAL
Saint Gabriel Cemetery
Potomac, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA

LINK:

Carolyn Marie Majane (1959-1975) - Find a Grave...

Born in 20 Oct 1959 and died in 1975 Potomac, Maryland Carolyn Marie Majane

www.findagrave.com

 

[sideshow57]

Today marks 37 years since Carolyn's remains were found. I think about this quite a bit as I was there that day, albeit somewhat tangentially. I lived on Shadow Oak Court in Timbercrest from 1984-1986. I was 8 years old at the time of her discovery. The tree boys who found her remains were two years old than me, more acquaintances than good friends, but we did often ride bikes and play in the neighborhood together. The area where she was discovered was the newer part of the subdivision -- as I recall at the time, the streets were laid out, curbs and roads in place in some cases, but there were still a number of lots with trees still in place and minimal excavation.

I seem to recall that on the day of the discovery, there was a trace amount of snow on the ground and the boys were attempting to sled in the construction area. I was not with them, but I was in my front yard playing by myself. The spot where she was found was a few streets away from my house. At one point the three boys came walking down the sidewalk toward me, whispering, huddling and carrying something. They didn't say anything to me as they walked by, just seemed very nervous and secretive.

Only later did I found out that there were carrying Carolyn's skull.

The old Topix thread on Carolyn is archived here: Carolyn Majane
The poster "Mimi" in the thread and her brother were my next door neighbors, whose home they brought the skull to.

Not that the boys were at fault, but I wonder if the fact that the remains were transported have any bearing on the investigation that followed?

To me, this story has several levels of despair, which continues to this day as the case remains unsolved. Not just Carolyn's death, but the effect the discovery had on the boys and their families. At the time, they were interviewed by local TV and newspapers and it was a bit of curiosity. In the long run I don't know how the boys fared, as my family moved away several months later and I never kept in touch with any of them. But hopefully someday there can be a sense of closure and peace for everyone.

 

[mere]

The only picture of Carolyn that I have shared, was from a newspaper article that I got from microfiche like 20 years ago. I recently obtained another photo of her from her high school yearbook. I am posting the original and the photo enhancement of the same photo.

 

[sway]

48 years…. There are answers out there. There is no way that there aren’t people alive today who know more about this case than have come forward.

Don’t let it get to 50 years without justice.

 

[Inchhigh]

The only picture of Carolyn that I have shared, was from a newspaper article that I got from microfiche like 20 years ago. I recently obtained another photo of her from her high school yearbook. I am posting the original and the photo enhancement of the same photo.

Mere do you have a theory?

 

[Inchhigh]

Hi fellow Burl Co sleuther! Glad you found your way here. I worked with a woman whose son was one of the three boys that found Carolyn's skull. I, too, knew nothing about it but I was only about 9 y/o when it happened. I came across the article about when her remains were found while looking for something else and the name of one of the boys was immediately familiar to me. Coincidentally I ran into the boy's mom (no longer a boy) at the 7-11 on Marne Hwy just days after I read the article. The name isn't common so I asked her if it was her son and she told me the story of how they found her skull, etc. So sad. Despite the amount of time that has passed, I still hope that her family gets answers and justice for Carolyn.

what was the story about how they found the skull?

 

[Richard]

This August 22nd will mark 50 years since Carolyn's murder.

 

[Angelcat13]

what was the story about how they found the skull?

The boys lived very close by where new construction was going on. There was a big pile of dirt where a foundation was being dug and the boys took flattened cardboard boxes to the site to “sled” down the dirt hill. They hir a “rock” at the bottom of the hill and dug it out so they could sled down without hitting the rock. When they saw it was a skull, they thought it was a discarded Halloween decoration and took it home to the one boy’s house (my former coworker). They proudly announced their find, but the mom realized it was real and called the Police. The skull and additional remains were recovered and identified as Carolyn Majane.