The Jeanette DePalma Case

Jeannette DePalma, 1972 (August 3, 1956 – c. August 7, 1972) was an American teenager who is believed to have been murdered sometime on or around August 7, 1972 in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, United States.[1]

The case, currently unsolved, has become a matter of significant controversy due in part to coverage in Weird NJ magazine and in the 2015 book Death on the Devil's Teeth.[2][3][4]

"In 2021 The New York Daily News mentions that the organization, named Justice for Jeannette DePalma",[5] "is dedicated to keeping her memory alive."[5] "The organizers are continuing to look for clues, even as the case approaches the half-century mark."[5]

Investigation- The Springfield Police Department began an investigation of DePalma's death after an autopsy could not reveal a cause of death.[16][2][6] Her remains and clothing showed no evidence of bone fractures, bullet wounds, or knife strikes.[17] No drug paraphernalia was found on or around the body. For undisclosed reasons, the coroner suspected that strangulation was the cause of death,[8] leading the Union County Prosecutor's Office to treat the case as an unsolved homicide. The coroner also discovered an unusually high amount of lead in the remains, but no explanation was found for this occurrence either.[6][18]

Early in the investigation, Springfield police received a tip regarding a homeless man living in the woods near the quarry. This man was known to locals simply as "Red," and it was alleged that he fled his campsite in the woods shortly after DePalma went missing. While this lead initially looked promising, the Union County Prosecutor's Office ultimately decided that "Red" had nothing to do with DePalma's death.[19] Investigators continued to attempt to find leads, but due to a lack of tips from the public, along with inconsistent stories told to the police by her family, friends, and peers, the case eventually went cold.[20]

Despite rumors and innuendo offered by Springfield police regarding DePalma possibly dying as the result of a drug overdose, no drug paraphernalia was found on, near, or around her body, and she was not known by friends or family to have used any recreational or prescription drugs other than occasionally smoking marijuana socially. DePalma's autopsy report makes no mention of the possibility of a drug overdose, and medical examiner Bernard Ehrenberg went on record stating he suspected strangulation, as he could not rule it out during the autopsy of her remains.

My Story- Jeanette DePalma had lived a blissful and peaceful life as a typical New Jersey teenager. Raised in the town of Springfield, by loving parents, she was an ambitious and determined young woman with a bright and promising future.

At just 16 years old, Jeanette was a devoted daughter, a welcoming friend and an active member of her community's local Girl Scout troop. On August 7, 1972, Jeanette DePalma left the home of a friend and began walking the two miles to her Springfield neighborhood. Hours went by without a trace of her whereabouts and Jeanette’s family soon contacted the police.

For the next six weeks, police and community members alike combed through the dense woods and thick foliage that surrounded Jeanette’s town. However, even with such an intense search, there were still no traces of the missing teen. As the days passed and hope diminished, so did the public’s awareness of the little girl who simply vanished that desolate August night. That is until the 16th of September, 1972.

On that fateful day, 76 days after Jeanette had gone missing, the Springfield Police Department was alerted to a peculiar discovery at the edge of town. When officers arrived, they found the dead body of a young woman laying face down in the brush and briars.

Officers of the law didn't need to look any further to know that this body was that of the missing 16 year old. Hours of rigorous examination was done by the police in order to figure out the details surrounding this tragedy. It wasn't long until a motive was found; Jeanette DePalma had died of a drug overdose.

Assuming that this must have been the result of a freak and grisly accidental overdose, officers continued to search for information surrounding the death of Jeanette DePalma. As they continued to investigate, they faced one chilling truth - Jeanette's death was no accident. She had been the victim of a cold-blooded murder, purposely carried out by her own neighbors.

The police were astonished to discover that the mastermind behind the crime were two of Jeanette's teenage neighbors, John Arnold, 17 and Gary Roth, 18, who had plotted and carried out the murder in an effort to obtain the drugs she had been carrying. Through the testimonies of Arnold and Roth, it has been determined that on the night of her disappearance, Jeanette had, by happenstance, come across a bag filled with drugs. Arnold and Roth had anticipated the immense amount of money they would make from the sale of the drugs, and decided to take matters into their own hands. They lured Jeanette into a wooded area away from her house and began to question her about the drugs.

When Jeanette refused to divulge the information and instead threatened to tell the police what they were attempting, the boys became angry and proceeded to attack her. According to the police, they began to beat her with sticks and stones, leaving her body in the woods. Unfortunately, later that night, Arnold and Roth discovered that the bag actually carried hallucinogenic mushrooms, not the cocaine they had expected. This meant that the two criminals had brutally murdered a young girl over a bag of fruit.

The two were ultimately arrested and charged with the first degree murder of Jeanette DePalma. Both were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain to this day.

Though arrested and incarcerated, the damage caused by the murder of Jeanette is irreplaceable. Her promising life and bright future cut short by a heinous crime that shouldn't have happened. She left behind the loving family she'd grown up with, her friends and the community that had been her home for so many years. Though her service to the community was brief, her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her.

In an effort to honor Jeanette and commemorate her fateful contribution to the community, the local government created the Jeanette DePalma Memorial Park. There, her parents and the community at large can come together and remember the little girl who, in her 16 years, did so much to make a difference in this world. May her memory live on in the hearts of all.