NJ NJ - Neptune, Wht/HispFem 20-30, UP1498, distinctive jewelry, 'Zena" jeans, Jul'80

  • #101
  • #102
Here are some brunette women whose names start with T who went missing around the time of this Doe's discovery. I don't think any of them are stellar matches but just thought I'd put them out here.

Theresa Rains

Teresa Marie Byers

Tejuana Jane Burnett

Teresa Gail Cupps
 
  • #103
I wish we had a photo instead of the b&w sketch of the jewelry etc
 
  • #104
I found a blog that includes old news clippings that indicate her hair was Auburn. NamUs #UP1498 - Case Details
Thinking about this, attaching the clipping from same blog in case it disappears from the internet:
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  • #105

Denise Ann Daneault, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last ContactJune 8, 1980
Missing FromManchester, New Hampshire
hair is described as "strawberry" but looks darker to me in photos.
Age when missing 25, brown eyes.
5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight135 lbs
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  • #106

Denise Ann Daneault, Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last ContactJune 8, 1980
Missing FromManchester, New Hampshire
hair is described as "strawberry" but looks darker to me in photos.
Age when missing 25, brown eyes.
5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight135 lbsView attachment 544543
Nose is absolutely spot on, jmo. Denise's mouth might be a little different, the upper lip looks a bit less full with Denise than with Neptune JD, but that could be the smiling, the angle, what have you Denise's chin's very squarish like in the sketch. I think Denise is showing little shorter than Neptune JD, but I'm seeing ranges listed on some of these sources for Neptune JD's height, so... Age, height, weight all match or are close. Denise was last seen downtown Manchester, I believe, that's about five hours from Neptune NJ. Denise disappeared early Sunday morning in June/80, Neptune JD found July 1 '80, about three weeks later, I believe. And there's that Rasmussen connection.

Did Denise wear a 7.5 size shoe? They evidently found Neptune JD's shoe size. Would that jewelry found on Neptune Jane Doe-- would that be the kind of jewelry Denise would wear?
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On that charm, I know they're saying it's like a letter "t," it's jmo, but I don't think it's a "t." It's like a symbolf of some sort and I've been trying to find out for some time what it is/might mean. To me it looks like a water nozzle, maybe a well pump, maybe a little Norse axe.
 
  • #107
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I see a very strong resemblance between Neptune JD's charm and this one pictured here, which is associated with Santeria, I knew nothing about Santeria until I started searching for what this symbol on the charm might mean.

Santeria is a syncretic religion, polytheistic, blending elements of Catholicism with Yoruba religion. It is flexible and eclectic, but some sources say it can move into the realm of occult and even Satanism. There's wide, wide variation in terms of the way it's practiced.

Practitioners of Santeria in New Jersey have in some cases been fined and jailed for animal sacrifices. There is a recent case in Miami-Dade where a man set his house on fire because his mother removed his Santeria materials.

It's could be a coincidence, but that's a very, very similar charm to the one Neptune Jane Doe was wearing.
 
  • #108
$27 in 1980 would be over $100 today. Not only does it sound like a lot for a night out (assuming it was for just the victim), and especially for bowling...but it wasn't stolen. She also had a comb in her sock, not in a purse. So she was carrying money and a comb on her to...keep her hands free? Why would you do this? Probably because you didn't want to lose it - so if not the bowling alley, she might have been somewhere ambulatory where she knew she wouldn't put a purse down, and didn't want to be bothered carrying it. A concert? A carnival? And no ID that we know of. So she either wasn't planning on being ID'd for alcohol or (more likely) she looked over 18/19 and checking was more lax.

I don't think the charm is a "T," although she might have been wearing it as such. It looks like an ax, could she have been into heavy metal?
 
  • #109
$27 in 1980 would be over $100 today. Not only does it sound like a lot for a night out (assuming it was for just the victim), and especially for bowling...but it wasn't stolen. She also had a comb in her sock, not in a purse. So she was carrying money and a comb on her to...keep her hands free? Why would you do this? Probably because you didn't want to lose it - so if not the bowling alley, she might have been somewhere ambulatory where she knew she wouldn't put a purse down, and didn't want to be bothered carrying it. A concert? A carnival? And no ID that we know of. So she either wasn't planning on being ID'd for alcohol or (more likely) she looked over 18/19 and checking was more lax.

I don't think the charm is a "T," although she might have been wearing it as such. It looks like an ax, could she have been into heavy metal?
Well, okay, agreed on everything you're saying. Have been researching, and the little charm looks an awful, awful lot like a little symbol in Santeria, which is a religion practiced around the world, and I think it's pretty popular in Cuba. In New Jersey in the 1980s, they had the Mariel Boatlift. At that time, Castro had told Cubans who wanted to leave Cuba they could appeal to embassies that would grant asylum. Many of the Cuban refugees ended up in New Jersey. The sources I viewed said a lot of the refugees that came over didn't have documentation, but many did have at least some money/resources. And I know Neptune Jane Doe had that Copenhagen Denmark shirt, which I was puzzled by. I looked and Denmark had an embassy at that time in Cuba.

There was tremendous hostility and discrimination towards those that came over on the Mariel Boatlift, and I guess the Klan came out in force against the refugees.

An article on Neptune Jane Doe notes that three suspects had been questioned in connection in the case. One had told someone he knew that he'd strangled a woman behind a bowling alley because she'd said she wanted to see God and he decided to "help her along." He denied making the statement to police, though.


I suspect some religious tie-in, but no way of knowing. The necklace in the end may not have any significance other than she liked it. But I am still really curious that Interpol was involved.
 
  • #110
And sorry about all these posts! But has any detail ever been revealed about the dog tag/s with the victim? What, if anything, was on these dog tags? Weirdly, the refugee idea might explain this. Am researching now, and dog tags might be (?? has anyone heard this?) used in detention camps, which is where many people from the Mariel Boatlift during 1980 were sent. I would guess the tags were used for tracking purposes (??) like medical or prison history in the wearer's country of origin.

Once the refugees were in the US, crimes against them were rampant. And sometimes, the refugees committed crimes against one another. I've read that the median age of these refugees was 30. Neptune Jane Doe's age is estimated 20-30 yo. I have no idea if this theory holds water, but I continue to hope something finally will with her case. RIP.
 
  • #111
I wish the images were clearer of the charm. It could be something related to Santeria, as you suggest, it could be a Norse axe, it could be something else entirely. Coming back to this after time away and looking with "fresh" eyes, I feel like we really just know the shape and feel that is unfortunate.

I'm split on the "Copenhagen" being linked to Denmark vs being linked to the tobacco product. A Dane would more likely refer to the city as København, and I think it would be a little weird to have been wearing a touristy t-shirt reading "Copenhagen". Not impossible, just kind of odd when you think about it. A North American who visited recently seems more likely to me, or who had family or friends who brought back a t-shirt from a trip, so maybe someone with a Danish surname or other connection if it isn't linked to tobacco? But I don't think it is a foreigner, JMO.

Money in your sock? I used to do this when younger. I've never been a "purse" gal. I don't think $27 seems like a lot of money for a night out, especially if you maybe needed some for transportation. I could go either way on that. Some of it could have been tip money or something too, if she was working a job with tips involved? Just a thought. Being transient is also a possibility.

I'm not sure about Denise's shoe size or taste in jewelry.
 
  • #112
I wish the images were clearer of the charm. It could be something related to Santeria, as you suggest, it could be a Norse axe, it could be something else entirely. Coming back to this after time away and looking with "fresh" eyes, I feel like we really just know the shape and feel that is unfortunate.

I'm split on the "Copenhagen" being linked to Denmark vs being linked to the tobacco product. A Dane would more likely refer to the city as København, and I think it would be a little weird to have been wearing a touristy t-shirt reading "Copenhagen". Not impossible, just kind of odd when you think about it. A North American who visited recently seems more likely to me, or who had family or friends who brought back a t-shirt from a trip, so maybe someone with a Danish surname or other connection if it isn't linked to tobacco? But I don't think it is a foreigner, JMO.

Money in your sock? I used to do this when younger. I've never been a "purse" gal. I don't think $27 seems like a lot of money for a night out, especially if you maybe needed some for transportation. I could go either way on that. Some of it could have been tip money or something too, if she was working a job with tips involved? Just a thought. Being transient is also a possibility.

I'm not sure about Denise's shoe size or taste in jewelry.
On the Copenhagen thing, I doubt (hope??) LE would NOT have gone after Interpol for just a shirt that said "Copenhagen." That could be anything. In the context we're talking about, that could be a shirt a person got on vacation, got at a thrift store, whatever. So I'm assuming the label of this garment actually was spelled out appropriately and was showing itself to be an authentic product of Denmark.

The Santeria sounds far-fetched, I know, but there was an enormous influx of Cuban refugees and a significant influx into New Jersey, and right around this time. But agreed, too, that little charm-- it's not a great picture we have. And it "could be" a lot of things, and maybe really nothing significant at all. I'm still curious on the dog tag/s.

Denise matches up perfectly with the sketch and timing. I can't find her shoe size and she doesn't seem to be wearing much jewelry in the images available, but she was at a club and going to a party that night, so maybe that night, she had jewelry.
 
  • #113
What do you think of MP14252 Merryl Wendy Horowitz as a possibility? It looks like she wasn’t reported as a missing person until 2012 by her then 32 year old son. He was a 1 year old when his mom went missing in 1980, which could account for the DLC date being slightly off as well as no clothing/accessories/marks being listed as he would not have known.
Merryl Wendy Horowitz was 26 years old and was last seen in Valley Stream, NY (70 miles from Neptune, NJ) sometime in 1980. She was 5’5”-5’7” and 140-170lbs with brown hair.
 

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  • #114
What do you think of MP14252 Merryl Wendy Horowitz as a possibility? It looks like she wasn’t reported as a missing person until 2012 by her then 32 year old son. He was a 1 year old when his mom went missing in 1980, which could account for the DLC date being slightly off as well as no clothing/accessories/marks being listed as he would not have known.
Merryl Wendy Horowitz was 26 years old and was last seen in Valley Stream, NY (70 miles from Neptune, NJ) sometime in 1980. She was 5’5”-5’7” and 140-170lbs with brown hair.
She is a good likeness, and I think you have a valid point about the last date of contact, unless her son's report now is based on anything earlier? November 1, 1980 for example being the day after Halloween, perhaps there was an argument over partying on Halloween, something that could be tied to that date for a specific reason vs an estimate??

Comparisons, and the distance between where Merryl was from and Neptune. If this was Merryl, could she have been heading to Atlantic City?
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  • #115
She is a good likeness, and I think you have a valid point about the last date of contact, unless her son's report now is based on anything earlier? November 1, 1980 for example being the day after Halloween, perhaps there was an argument over partying on Halloween, something that could be tied to that date for a specific reason vs an estimate??

Comparisons, and the distance between where Merryl was from and Neptune. If this was Merryl, could she have been heading to Atlantic City?View attachment 588737View attachment 588738
I don’t see that Merryl is listed as a missing person anywhere but NamUs. Nothing, sadly.
 
  • #116
I don’t see that Merryl is listed as a missing person anywhere but NamUs. Nothing, sadly

I stopped using Facebook, etc but have you looked around if you use? Maybe the son has a page for her there with more info? If not, perhaps he will Google and land here at some point. You could always submit her as a match. I don't think the dates of last contact seem that far fetched and your possible explanation is a good one. LE can decide if it's worth looking into.
 
  • #117
I stopped using Facebook, etc but have you looked around if you use? Maybe the son has a page for her there with more info? If not, perhaps he will Google and land here at some point. You could always submit her as a match. I don't think the dates of last contact seem that far fetched and your possible explanation is a good one. LE can decide if it's worth looking into.
I did do some poking around and found the son’s name, as well as her parents. But alas, no social media for any of them. Thank you for your input and encouragement. I will submit.
 
  • #118
Neptune Jane Doe has been unidentified for 45 years today.
 

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