Man missing 42 years ago found dead: 3rd similar case in a few days in NJ

Human remains found submerged in a stream in New Jersey have been identified as belonging to Charles Murphy, a man missing since 1982, prosecutors said.

Earlier this month, several local and Bergen County agencies began an investigation into artifacts recovered in Overpeck Creek in the town of Ridgefield Park by a private, nonprofit diving company that informed authorities of their discovery, according to the Bureau. of the local prosecutor.

Later on May 3, county divers confirmed that the submerged artifacts were around 40 years old. A recovery mission was carried out and the presence of human remains was finally confirmed, he reported. NBC News.

On Monday, May 20, after extensive forensic testing, County Attorney Mark Musella confirmed that the recovered remains were those of Murphy, a 26-year-old Maywood resident who disappeared in the early morning hours of April 28, 1982.

The circumstances surrounding Murphy’s disappearance and death are unknown and are currently being investigated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department and the Ridgefield Park Police Department.

It was the third similar discovery in a few days in New Jersey: last week a woman who disappeared in the summer of 2010 was identified by her family as the victim found dead inside a car pulled from the Cooper River in New Jersey.

Also this month, a 13-year-old mystery had its first closure: remains found in New Jersey were confirmed as belonging to Kevin Morris, a man who disappeared in New York in 2011.

In general, the discovery of bodies in whole or in parts in public places is common in New York and nearby areas, and it sometimes takes time to identify the victims.

In April, a case that had been open for almost 39 years was closed in New Jersey: the newborn girl found dead in a bag in a park on Christmas Eve 1984.

In January 2021, human remains were found in a park on Staten Island along with a calendar from the year 2005. Months later, it was determined that the bones were from a short man (between 4’11” and 5’5″). possibly Asian or Hispanic, and that he had been murdered on an unspecified date. But so far the victim has not been identified and there have been no arrests.

In the fall of 2020, two newborn twins were left dead in a high-traffic residential area in The Bronx (NYC) and more than three years later, no one has been arrested in the case.

The girl of Mexican origin Dulce María Alavez has been missing for more than four years, last seen in a park in New Jersey when she was 5 years old, in September 2019. A reward offered of $75,000 and the work of the FBI – a of the most advanced research forces in the world – have not been enough to find her or at least know what happened to her.

Anyone with information about these cases should call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Also through the website crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text message to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.