NJ NJ - Margaret Fox, 14, Burlington, 24 June 1974

[Richard]

MARGARET ELLEN FOX
DOB: Feb 4, 1960
Missing: Jun 24, 1974
Age at time: 14
Age Now: 44
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
Weight: 105 lbs (48 kg)
Endangered Missing
Missing From: BURLINGTON NJ United States

Margaret was last seen getting off a bus on June 24, 1974. She was last seen wearing jeans with a yellow patch on the knee, a blue blouse and brown sandals. Margaret was also wearing a white and black checkered jacket. She was wearing a gold necklace with flowers and a blue stone and a gold charm bracelet with a blue stone.

Burlington City Police Department (New Jersey) 1-609-386-3300

Link
http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...aseNum=959832&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

 

[Richard]

It has been now 31 years since Margaret Ellen Fox was last seen.
She was 14 years old when she went missing in June 1974.

 

[Hollow]

Philadelphia Daily News
August 7th, 2001

It would have been Margaret Ellen's first job.

The 14-year-old Burlington City girl wanted some pocket money, so she advertised her baby-sitting skills in the local newspaper's classified section.

A man identifying himself as "John Marshall" answered the ad, requesting that Margaret sit with his 5-year-old child on June 24, 1974. He directed her to take a bus to Mount Holly and meet him near the stop, from which he would take her to his house to sit.

Margaret's 11-year-old brother accompanied his sister to the bus stop that day.

Witnesses later reported seeing Margaret get off the bus in Mount Holly and walking to the rendezvous spot, within sight of the Mount Holly police station.

No one has reported seeing her since.

Margaret was supposed to call home when she arrived, but she never did. The telephone number the man had given her- and which she left for her parents- rang a pay phone outside a Lumberton grocery store.

In the weeks surrounding her disappearance, police fielded complaints from residents about strangers attempts to lure their daughters to phony baby-sitting jobs. There also was speculation that her disappearance was one in a string of abduction/murders in Delaware County, Wilmington, Del., and South Jersey.

A Harrisburg convict confessed to her kidnapping and murder, but police determined the confession had been a hoax.

A blue-eyed, freckled kid who took piano lessons and liked to ride horses, Margaret graduated from eighth grade at St. Paul's Grammar School in Burlington two weeks before she vanished.

"I grew up with the girl, knew the family" said Burlington Police Sgt. John Stefanoni. " The family was and still is a genuine American family. The father was the town plumber. They were devoted catholics. I can just imagine the tragedy this has put the family through."

 

[docwho3]

. . .Fox was last seen in Burlington, New Jersey on June 24, 1974. She was planning to go to High and west Broad Streets in Mount Holly, New Jersey to have an interview with a man who called himself John Marshall. Fox's younger sister accompanied her to the bus stop and saw her on. Witnesses reported seeing her after she got off the bus in Mount Holly, but she has never been heard from again.
Fox had advertised for a baby-sitting job, and Marshall responded to the ad on June 19. He told her he needed a babysitter for the following weekend, but he postponed meeting her several times. Finally he said he would meet her in a red Volkswagen. He gave Fox a telephone number to reach him; the number was traced to a public phone booth at a supermarket in Lumberton, New Jersey.
Fox has never been heard from again. . .

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/fox_margaret.html

 

[Hollow]

Bucks County Courier Times
Levvitown PA
Fri, June 28th, 1974

......Police here said the girl was 5-feet-2. Weighed 105 pounds with blue eyes and long brown hair and a lot of frckles. They said she has two of her front teeth missing on the top right hand side.

When she left home she was wearing a black and white jacket over a light blue flowered blouse, squared at the top and flared at the waist. She had on maroon slacks and brown sandals......

Fox said a man who identified himself as John Marshall called in reply to the ad June 19th saying he needed a babysitter starting Friday of that week.

The next day he called to say he would not need her services for several days because of a death in the family, police said. Sunday night , he called again and said she could begin work Monday.

The man left instructions for the girl to take a bus to Mount Holly where he would meet her at the corner of Mill and High Streets......

.....according to police, a woman passenger is the last person to have reported seeing the girl.

 

[annemc2]

Even though he was supposedly closer to GA/OK at the time, seeing the surname "Marshall" in connection with a kidnapping makes me think of old Franklyn D. Floyd.

 

[shadowangel]

The re-scheduling of the "babysitting" indicates to me that he did not live alone, and may have in fact been a family man. He would have wanted to be alone to carry out his plans with this young lady, and some other activity did in fact arise unexpectedly..The plan shows some maturity in thought, also.

Thusly, there is someone who knows...

 

[shadowangel]

Richard-Where was Coffey around this time?

 

[Richard]

Richard-Where was Coffey around this time?

Fred Coffey was still in the Navy, stationed in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA area. He was attempting to re-enlist for a fourth 4-year term of service, but had been caught and charged with the 1973 or 74 abduction and rape of a 13-year-old girl who was the daughter of another Navy man.

Civil authorities had jurisdiction on the case, but evidently Coffey's command was aware of the charges. He was told that he could not re-enlist, and he was given an HONORABLE Discharge on 17 September 1974 when his third enlistment expired.

I cannot explain why the Navy let him off the hook, other than to speculate that he was probably a very squarred-away sailor who did great work and who had a believable line of BS. Perhaps the civil authorities did not make any of their evidence available to the Navy, and when it came time for Coffey's discharge, all they knew that there were some kind of civil charges pending.

Coffey's personal travels while still in the Navy in 1974 are not known. He may have been on leave, or may have been looking for a new career job, but I do not know where he was other than in Virginia Beach, VA. He next appears working for VITRO Laboratories in Wheaton, Maryland from April thru July 1975. By October 1975, he was back in Virginia Beach, VA where he was charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" - the minor being a 15-year-old girl.

Coffey had family in Bristol, VA which is in the very western end of the state, just near the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee. He was a strong suspect in the disappearance and murder of a little 8-year-old boy in Bristol.

He also had family and connections in North Carolina, where he served in the NC National Guard in the late 1970's. He was convicted of murdering little 10-year-old Amanda Ray in NC in 1979, and is the primary suspect in the murder of 5-year-old Neely Smith, also of NC in 1982. He was also convicted of nine counts of child sexual abuse involving three children in NC in 1986. Prior to his murder trial, he told a court appointed psychiatrist that he had sexually abused over 100 children.

Coffey owned a number of cars over the years, and was stationed on both the East and West Coasts during his Navy career. His first tour of duty (roughly 1962-1966) was aboard a Fleet Oiler out of Norfolk, Va. His second duty station was in the San Diego, CA area (roughly 1966-1970 or 71) and his third duty station was back in the Norfolk, VA area (roughly 1970 or 71 to 17 September 1974). I do not have exact dates, but am only estimating based on his having served three 4-year enlistments. During his West Coast service, he was deployed for a tour of duty in Viet-Nam.

He was married three times and held a succession of different jobs after leaving the Navy.

He is currently serving a life sentence in Pender Prison, NC, but comes up for parole every year in July.

 

[shadowangel]

Given that we agree he is a likely suspect in the Lyon sisters case, he came to mind when I thought on this girl's case. Not that I claim to have any skill at profiling, but this case lends itself to some amateur speculation.

The method of selecting a victim shows some maturity of thought, so I would assume this is an older person, late 20s at least, probably older. White, as killers tend to "shop" within their own race. He may have rejected other applicants for teh position as he was selecting his proper victim. An occupation that allows for some freedom of movement-I was thinking a sales position, which would include knowledge of advertising and some phone skill. (This would not preclude a military member on leave). Probably of above average intelligence, he would consider the job beneath him. A history of failures, for which he would blame others, never himself. A feeling of superiority which others would have observed. I would also make the assumption that the killer was local, having a knowledge of the area and a place to return to quickly. Married, with children, most likely, probably with a prior history of accusations from babysitters of inappropriate behavior.

His persistence in pursuing this method of victim contact tells me he had done something similar before, and did not stop at this young lady.

It would be interesting to see if any suspects were developed.

As for Coffey...Keep in mind how much "fire" the entire military was under at the time due to Viet Nam. The Navy would certainly not want his activities publicized. Drug usage, rape, even murder...A lot of people got away with a lot of evil during this period. If you haven't done so, Richard, I highly recommend reading the book Soldier by Lt Col Anthony Herbert. Quite an eye-opener.
What was Coffey's MOS?

 

[Hollow]

Bucks County Courier Time
Tuesday July 16th, 1974
Levitown PA

About $650 in reward has been donated for information that would lead to the location of 14-year-old Margaret Ellen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David A. Fox of Penn St., Burlington City.

A spokesman for Burlington council 589, Knights of Columbus, whose $100 kicked off the drive, said the money has been donated by residents and various business places.

Police are baffled by the disappearance of Margaret Ellen, who was last seen boarding a bus at 8:40 a.m. on June 24th at High and W. Broad Sts. for a babysitting job in Mount Holly.

Once in Mount Holly, she was to meet a man in a red volkswagon at High and Hill Sts.

Yesterday the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Newark declined comment on a report that the Fox family had recieved a letter asking for money in exchange for information on the whereabouts of Margaret Ellen............

 

[Richard]

... The method of selecting a victim shows some maturity of thought, so I would assume this is an older person, late 20s at least, probably older. White, as killers tend to "shop" within their own race. He may have rejected other applicants for teh position as he was selecting his proper victim. An occupation that allows for some freedom of movement-I was thinking a sales position, which would include knowledge of advertising and some phone skill. (This would not preclude a military member on leave). Probably of above average intelligence, he would consider the job beneath him. A history of failures, for which he would blame others, never himself. A feeling of superiority which others would have observed. I would also make the assumption that the killer was local, having a knowledge of the area and a place to return to quickly. Married, with children, most likely, probably with a prior history of accusations from babysitters of inappropriate behavior.

His persistence in pursuing this method of victim contact tells me he had done something similar before, and did not stop at this young lady.

It would be interesting to see if any suspects were developed.

As for Coffey...Keep in mind how much "fire" the entire military was under at the time due to Viet Nam. The Navy would certainly not want his activities publicized. Drug usage, rape, even murder...A lot of people got away with a lot of evil during this period. If you haven't done so, Richard, I highly recommend reading the book Soldier by Lt Col Anthony Herbert. Quite an eye-opener.
What was Coffey's MOS?

I agree with most of your analysis. I think that it probably was an older guy who actually had a family and who had numerous "changes" made to his plans, resulting in his postponement of his meeting with Margaret Ellen.

I remember reading LCOL Herbert's book back in the mid 1970's, but I will see if I can find it again.

I know that there was a lot of stuff that went on in the military back then. The draft was on, and because of that, there were a lot of undesirable people being put into the service, a lot of folks that didn't want to be there, and so forth. Many tried to get kicked,out for various reasons, while others were just dirtbags by nature, and the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps had to deal with it all.

As a Navy legal officer for my squadron, I heard the phrase so many times, "Just get RID of him!" The war was wearing down, and the dirt bags could be dispensed with. Taking someone to court martial, going through all the legal steps, trial, appeals, etc took time and during that time and manpower. With a court martial, the man might be given a sentence of brig time, but no discharge. The squadron could not get a replacement for the man while all that was being done, and in fact, might get the guy back after several months of other guys covering his duties. So, the quick Admin discharge was the route taken most often.

Regarding Coffey's MOS: He may have had several job specialties, but I was told of two. One was something having to do with Operations and Intelligence, and another stated that he was in the medical technology field. He obviously had a lot of knowledge of computers, as his job with VITRO involved Computer Programming work.

In most of his cases, I don't know all the specifics of what he did, or exactly how he lured his victims. I know that in the case of the 13-year-old Virginia Beach Navy dependant, that he drove up to her as she exited a convience store and told her that her parents had been in an accident and that they wanted him to drive her to the hospital. She recognized him and went with him. He then drove her to a beach where he raped her. She lived to tell about it and he was arrested and charged.

In other cases, Coffey befriended young children and used devices like fishing equipment, a metal detector, and possibly other things to attract their attention and lure them into going with him.

 

[smile22]

what year did ted bundy strike. it said she was to meet a man with a red vw hmm i know bundy had a vw but he was like in utah but didnt he strike victimes in other states. also the marshall thing had me wondering as well. on the floyd connection. i think if maybe the brother had taken her himself maybe things would have turned out diffrently? what if she had asked him to meet her in a public place and she took a friend or something

 

[shadowangel]

Many of the senior NCOs in my first unit upon entering the Army were veterans from Viet Nam, and had horror stories of what was going on in those days, most especially the period '73 to '75. It appeared the military had dropped all pretense of rewarding meritorious service. Officers were plotting their career paths just as any junior executive in a major company would. The secret to advancement was a clean record, and for those in a leadership position this meant making sure those under you stayed out of trouble. Unfortunately, many chose not to do this through leadership, counselling and discipline, but instead through making the problems "go away".A disturbing certainty in this case, for me, is that the person responsible would have had an "enabler"...Most likely a second or third wife chosen for her willingness to assist in any way she could. Therefore my statement that someone knows what happened to this little girl besides the person who committed the crime.

 

[Richard]

what year did ted bundy strike. it said she was to meet a man with a red vw hmm i know bundy had a vw but he was like in utah but didnt he strike victimes in other states. ....

Ted Bundy's string of murders are generally believed to have begun in January 1974 in Seattle, Washington. He killed at least one young woman per month in Washington thru August 1974. He moved to Utah and continued killing young women, and then moved to Colorado by January 1975, later back to Utah. He is also believed to have killed in Idaho.

You are correct about Ted being a Volkswagen fan. He drove a copper colored 1968 VW bug, as well as another owned by his girl friend. During an escape from a Colorado jail, he stole a VW, and finally in Pensacola, Florida in early 1978, it was his erratic driving of a stolen orange VW bug that caught police attention, leading to his arrest there.

Considering the MO and Ted's busy schedule in Washington at the time, I doubt that Ted had anything to do with Margaret Ellen's disappearance.

 

[shadowangel]

I recall a mention of another case from the early '70s I read in NewspaperArchives, also involving a red VW. I'll go "bug"gy until I find it again....

 

[Richard]

I recall a mention of another case from the early '70s I read in NewspaperArchives, also involving a red VW. I'll go "bug"gy until I find it again....

Back in 1968, Volkswagen accounted for about 75 percent of the foreign cars in the U.S. and, of course, their VW Bug was the most popular model. By the early 70's all of the small Japanese imports were starting to get a toehold here as well, but there were lots and lots of VW Bugs in existance then.

Ted Bundy stated that he liked the VW for a number of reasons, but mainly because he could remove the front passenger seat, giving him room to transport his victims.

 

[shadowangel]

And its hard to think of someone having an evil intent in a Beetle.

Didn't Bundy have an eyebolt or some such mounted in the floor to secure his victims too?

 

[Richard]

And its hard to think of someone having an evil intent in a Beetle.
Didn't Bundy have an eyebolt or some such mounted in the floor to secure his victims too?

I do not know of any Eyebolts, but on 16 August 1975, when Bundy was pulled over in Utah, the front passenger seat of his VW bug was removed, and various burgler tools and a set of handcuffs were found in the vehicle. I do not know if the Bug was impounded then, or later on 2 October, when Bundy was picked out of a police line-up and charged with kidnapping and attempted murder of Carol DaRonch, who had earlier escaped from Bundy.

Bundy's car was sold in a police auction when no longer needed as evidence and a police officer who knew the history behind it bought the car. The VW sat for some twenty or more years in the weeds until he decided to sell it on eBay a few years ago. I do not recall the disposition of it, but remember the furor that it caused.

 

[Hollow]

I would like to see the ad Margaret placed, and wonder why this man was in that particular section (was he looking for a babysitter or a job maybe???) I wonder what paper it was placed in and where that paper was available. I also wonder if he indeed had a red VW and if they were checked for possible lead. Does anyone know how large of an area Mount Holly is and how far it was in relation to Burlington???