NJ NJ - Theresa Kawash, 37, Englewood Cliffs, 4 July 1982

[Gardener1850]

Theresa A Kawash
Bergen County, New Jersey
37 year old white female

Height (inches)

Weight (pounds)

[TD="class: view_field"]70.0[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]110.0 to 120.0[/TD]

Hair: Blond/Strawberry
Eyes: Hazel

Jewelry: Necklace with Jade Stones


On Wednesday, July 7, 1982, Theresa was reported missing to the Englewood Cliffs Police Department. She was last seen at her home on or about July 4, 1982. Her vehicle was also missing and has not been recovered.

Vehicle make
Vehicle model
Year
Style
Vehicle color
Tag type
Tag number
Tag state
Expiration year
Vehicle comments	Vehicle has never been located.

[TD="class: view_field"]Datsun[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]280Z[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]1977[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"][/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]Gold[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]Passenger automobile (regular plates)[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]338 GIY[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]New Jersey[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"][/TD]

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/19060/

[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Kawash was last seen at her home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 4, 1982. Her husband didn't see her himself, but he heard her call her daughter into her room at 8:00 a.m.

At 8:30 a.m., Kawash's husband and their daughter left, leaving Kawash at home. Her gold 1977 Datsun 280 Z, which had the vehicle identification number GHLS30065266 and the New Jersey license plate number 338GIY, was parked in the garage at the time. When Kawash's husband returned at 11:30 p.m., his wife and her car were gone.

She has never been heard from again and her vehicle has not been located. Her husband reported her missing on July 7. Few details are available in Kawash's case.

http://charleyproject.org/case/theresa-a-kawash

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1580dfnj.html

 

[masquerading]

When the car goes missing too, my first thought is always water, especially for this one as the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean are in close proximity. Obviously there are chop shops and various other ways to get rid of a vehicle, but I'm wondering if local LE ever made an attempt to search the Hudson or any other bodies of water for her? I'm guessing not since she is listed as just "missing", not endangered missing, which makes me think they believe she left on her own. Which leads us to questions about Theresa as a person - was she depressed/having other personal issues? Were there marital problems? Did she disappear like this a lot, just never for this long? There doesn't seem to be a lot of concern over where she is, like she's expected to return one of these days or something. Lots of questions, zero answers, and almost 35 years of wondering for her family. Wish we had more than just theories here.

 

[dotr]

Bumping.
Theresa A. Kawash – The Charley Project
Theresa A. Kawash

• 
• 
• 

Kawash, circa 1982; Age-progression to an unknown age; Kawash's 1977 Datsun

• Missing Since 07/04/1982
• Missing From Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
• Classification Missing
• Date of Birth 11/20/1945 (72)
• Age 36 years old
• Height and Weight 5'10, 125 - 130 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A necklace with jade stones.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes.

 

[Murkywaters]

Updated Charley Project profile with a lot more information

Theresa A. Kawash – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance
Kawash was last seen at her home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 4, 1982. Her husband didn't see her himself, but he heard her call her daughter into her room at 8:00 a.m.

At 8:30 a.m., Kawash's husband and their daughter left, leaving Kawash at home. Her gold 1977 Datsun 280Z, which had the vehicle identification number GHLS30065266 and the New Jersey license plate number 338GIY, was parked in the garage at the time.

When Kawash's husband returned at 11:30 p.m., his wife and her car were gone, although she'd left recently laundered clothes behind, and left the refrigerator full of food. She has never been heard from again and her vehicle has not been located; a photo of it is posted with this case summary. Her husband reported her missing on July 7.

Kawash had filed for divorce in January 1981. She and her husband were still living in the same house, but lead largely separate lives and were seeing other people. By the time Kawash went missing, the divorce was nearly finalized. She and her husband had agreed on a financial settlement, and she was going to receive more than $250,000.

Kawash was looking forward to her new life; she was seeing a Norwegian man and planned to move to Norway with her ten-year-old daughter and get married again. Her husband, however, planned to challenge her in court if she tried to take their daughter out of the country. The child custody hearing was scheduled for about a month after Kawash disappeared.

In late March 1983, nine months after her disappearance, Kawash's divorce was finalized and she was given custody of her daughter, in spite of being missing.

There is no indication that Kawash traveled to Norway after her disappearance, and her passport was left behind. She is the oldest of eight children and is described as a responsible individual and a devoted mother. She worked as a beautician, and her hobbies in 1982 included antique collecting and designing and sewing Victorian-style clothing. She often wore heavy makeup and clothes that would range in style from Victorian-era to punk.

The circumstances of her disappearance are unclear, but Kawash's loved ones never thought she would have left of her own accord without telling anyone. Her case remains unsolved.

 

[JSolt1210]

According to this blog, the daughter was nine years old at the time of her mother's disappearance.

If this is true—and I can't confirm it through Doe Network, Charley Project, or MSM—then I would tend to believe the father's story because the daughter would be old enough to remember and answer questions about her mom calling her. Or at the very least, a grown adult would think twice about trying to manipulate a nine-year-old's recollection, since at that age, you can't be sure what the child will forget or retain forever.

That doesn't rule the father out completely for me, since he had motive—not wanting his kids taken out of the country.

Then again, they were "leading separate lives and were seeing other people." Maybe there was a man besides the Norwegian boyfriend that no one knew about? Just because they were okay with each other dating, I doubt they were sharing details of who they were involved with. This in-between period can be sensitive for separating couples.

 

[Kkmtk]

If anyone know anything about this case please contact me. Theresa is very missed by her family...

 

[dotr]

If anyone know anything about this case please contact me. Theresa is very missed by her family...

Welcome to Ws Kkmtk!

 

[bearfossils]

Bumping for Theresa. I wonder if her daughter remembers that morning her mother disappeared. It would be interesting to see if she actually recalls seeing her mother, or if she merely called out to her. The whole story sounds suspiciously like other stories in which a man’s soon-to-be-ex suddenly vanishes, relieving him of expensive spousal support and a difficult child custody battle. Never a good situation. I wonder if local bodies of water have been checked for the car. There are only so many ways a car “disappears”.

 

[mp_1989]

Bump

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[Caring1]

13 Unidentified Person Exclusions

 

[spartanx]

I think it's very possible that when she left she had an accident and got lost in the Hudson River or some other body of water never to be seen again... Or it could have been intentional... the money she would have received from her husband was a lot... although I don't think she was so happy to receive the money but rather to separate from her husband... that thing of living in the same house but almost separated but dating other people seems terrible to me... it lends itself to anything... if the issue is about money then the husband ordered her murder... giving her money and also her being single again perhaps bothered her too much... but at the same time her daughter was left without a mother... I think it could all have been avoided if she had left the house before they dated other people...
whatever
Rest in peace

 

[JSolt1210]

A few things stand out at me now after re-reading my comment six(!) years later:

Reportedly, Theresa had "left recently laundered clothes behind, and left the refrigerator full of food." Could this sound like a good-bye? Like, "I know I'm not coming back so let me leave you as stocked up as I can before I go."

According to the article cited above, there were "frequent phone conversations and occasional visits between [Theresa] Kawash and [her boyfriend] Kjell Olsen, the manager of a Norwegian auto parts factory. Her attorney said she intended to marry Olsen and move to Norway when her divorce was final." What was Mr. Olsen's account of that day? Did he meet up with Theresa after her husband left with their daughter, Kellie? If not, then where was he that day?

The summary above says that the husband left with their daughter at 8:30am and came back around 11:30pm. That's 15 hours—a huge time gap for anything to happen! However, this article states that Theresa "was first discovered missing July 4 when her husband, Edward, returned from lunch with Kellie." So I'm thinking we have a typo, and the time should read 11:30am.

It's suspicious that Edward reported her missing three days after he last saw her. However, the same article clarifies that he "first checked with friends and relatives, and then reported his wife’s disappearance July 7." July 4 that year was a Sunday, meaning that Independence Day would be observed the following day, the Monday. Could Edward have assumed Theresa took an impromptu "holiday weekend" getaway (with her boyfriend?), and that's why he didn't report her missing so soon? Can police verify whether or not he did in fact call friends and relatives?

However, another possibility we have to consider: Could Edward have had someone else abduct and harm Theresa that day? Was his lunch date with Kellie intended to establish an alibi? Were his calls and subsequent missing persons report meant to make him look like a concerned husband? Could he have taken advantage of the fact that another man was in the picture and could take the blame?