The Unsolved Murder of Jeannette DePalma
Morbid
02/17/25
•77m
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On the afternoon of August 7, 1972, sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma left her house in Springfield, NJ and was never seen alive again. Six weeks later, Jeannette’s remains were discovered when a neighborhood dog returned to its owner at a newly built apartment complex, carrying Jeannette’s badly decomposed arm in its mouth.
The news of Jeannette’s death spread quickly around the small town and the rumors about the circumstances were not far behind. According to witnesses, the girl’s body was surrounded by occult symbols and objects, and within a few weeks news outlets began reporting that Jeannette had been the victim of ritual human sacrifice.
For more than five decades, the murder of Jeannette DePalma had fascinated New Jersey residents and has even captured the attention of news outlets from around the country and occasionally around the world. Yet the more coverage the case receives, the more the rumors of occult murder and Satanism seem to grow, obscuring the more relevant facts and the tragedy at the heart of the case.
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Associated Press. 1972. "Police probe death of girl." Asbury Park Press, October 3: 11.
—. 1972. "Witchcraft seen possible in teen-age girl's death." Central New Jersey Home News, September 30: 3.
—. 1972. "Was girl black magic victim?" Courier-News (Brunswick, NJ), September 30: 1.
Burks, Edward. 1971. "'Satan cult' death, drugs jolt peaceful Vineland, N.J." New York Times, July 6: 35.
Chadwick, Bruce. 1972. "Priest's theory: devil's disciples killed girl." Daily News (New York, NY), October 4: 399.
Hughes, Sarah A. 2021. American Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lenehan, Arthur. 1972. "Springfield cops find girl's body." Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), September 21: 10.
—. 1972. "'Witchcraft' implicated in DePalma murder." Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), October 3: 8.
Muscavage, Nick. 2019. "What happened to Springfield teen found dead near Watchung Reservation in 1972?" Courier News, August 23.
Pollack, Jesse, and Mark Moran. 2015. Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey. Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press.
Schwartz, Art. 2015. "Conspiracy or serial killer?" Hudson Reporter, January 25.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Previous Episode
The Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar
February 13, 2025
•66m
Two decades before the Lindbergh baby became America’s most famous missing child, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar, went missing in Opelousas, Louisiana, setting in motion one of the strangest kidnapping stories in the nation’s history.
In the summer of 1912, the Dunbar family took a trip to Swayze Lake in St. Landry Parish, where Bobby wandered off and disappeared. The boy’s disappearance was followed by an eight-month search across the American south, until Bobby was ostensibly found in the company of William Walters, a handyman traveling through the Mississippi. Bobby’s parents were elated to have their son back after such a long absence, but the problem was, very few people seem convinced that the boy was in fact Bobby Dunbar.
After extensive news coverage of the search, Walters’ trial for kidnapping, and the joyful return of Bobby to his family, interest in the case began to fade, but for the Dunbar family, questions remained about Bobby’s identity. Had the Dunbars, in their desperation to find their son, unintentionally kidnapped someone else’s child?
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Crowley Post-Signal. 1913. "Charges fell to ground." Crowley Post-Signal , April 11: 5.
Daily Advertiser. 1914. "Walters' trial at Opelousas." Daild Advertiser (Lafayette, LA), April 21: 1.
—. 1914. "Supreme court frees Walters." Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, LA), June 30: 1.
McThenia, Tal, and Ira Glass. 2008. "The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar." This American Life. Chicago, IL: Chicago Public Media, March 14.
New York Times. 1912. "$6,000 for missing boy." New York Times, November 10: 1.
—. 1912. "Kidnapped boy murdered." New York Times, December 15: 14.
Ray, S.W. 1914. "Opelousas jury hears life story of other mother." Times-Picayune, April 23: 8.
St. Landry Clarion. 1912. "No trace of lost Bob Dunbar." St. Landry Clarion , September 7: 1.
—. 1912. "Robert Dunbar, 4 years old, mysteriously disappears." St. Landry Clarion , August 31: 4.
—. 1914. "Asks that fair play be given to the accused." St. Landry Clarion, April 18: 1.
—. 1914. "Fair play for Walters." St. Landry Clarion, April 18: 1.
Times-Democrat. 1913. "Recognizes playmates." Times- Democrat (New Orleans, LA), April 26: 1.
—. 1913. "Does not identify boy." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), April 22: 1.
—. 1913. "Dunbar boy talking." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), May 20: 4.
—. 1913. "Hunting for kidnappers." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), April 27: 1.
—. 1913. "Is not Bruce Anderson." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), April 26: 1.
—. 1913. "Now believes boy hers." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), May 3: 1.
—. 1912. "Scores search for missing lad." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), August 25: 1.
—. 1912. "Suspicion turns toward negroes." Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA), September 2: 1.
—. 1913. "Movements of Tinker." Times-Democrat, May 23: 1.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Next Episode
A Deeper Dive into the Murder of Elizabeth Short (Part 1)
February 20, 2025
•61m
On the morning of January 15, 1947, a woman walking with her young daughter spotted something pale and white lying in the weeds of a vacant lot. When the woman walked closer to get a better look, she made a horrifying discovery: the bisected body of a young woman, brutally murdered and like trash in the abandoned overgrown lot. The woman in the lot would soon be identified as twenty-two-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, who the press nicknamed “The Black Dahlia.”
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Associated Press. 1947. "Mrs. Phoebe Short can't believe slain girl hers." Los Angeles Times, Janaury 17: 2.
Bartlett, Jim. 2017. The Black Dahlia: Los Angeles' most famous unsolved murder. January 8. Accessed January 14, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38513320.
Daily News. 1947. "Body of girl mutilated by murderer." Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), January 15: 1.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1947. Correspondence, Identification Division, FBI. Letter from R.B. Hood, SAC to Director Hoover, re: Black Dahlia identification, Washington, DC: United States Department of Justice.
Gilmore, John. 1994. Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia. Gardena, CA: Zanja Press.
Goffard, Christopher. 2024. "The killing of Elizabeth Short, dubbed the Black Dahlia, has inspired endless theories." Los Angeles Times, October 26: B1.
Hodel, Steve. 2003. Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder. New York, NY: Arcade Publishing.
Lait, Matt. 1991. "Memories of murder." Los Angeles Times, June 22: B1.
—. 1991. "Search fails to turn up evidence of '47 murder." Los Angeles Times, June 23: B1.
Los Angeles Times. 1947. "Beth Short slaying suspect jailed after asserted admission of crime." Los Angeles Times, January 29: 2.
—. 1947. "'Black Dahlia' knife braggart terroizes girl." Los Angeles Times, February 5: 7.
—. 1947. "'Black Dahlia's' love life traced in search for her fiendish murderer." Los Angeles Times, Janaury 18: 3.
—. 1947. "'Dahlia' clues fail; inquest conducted." Los Angeles Times, Janaury 23: 2.
—. 1947. "Elizabeth Short case slayer baffles police." Los Angeles Times, Janaury 31: 2.
—. 1947. "Girl victim of sex fiend found slain." Los Angeles Times, January 16: 2.
—. 2004. "Janice Knowlton claimed a link to Black Dahlia murder." Los Angeles Times, December 19: B7.
—. 1947. "'Killer' fails to surrender in Elizabeth Short death." Los Angeles Times, January 30: 2.
—. 1947. "Mystery envelope sent in 'Dahlia' case; address book gives dozens of fresh leads." Los Angeles Times, January 25: 3.
—. 1947. "Police await second 'Dahlia' letter for clue to break murder case." Los Angeles Times, January 27: 2.
—. 1947. "Police free red-haired salesman as suspect in 'Black Dahlia' murder." Los Angeles Times, Janaury 21: 2.
—. 1947. "Police stumped in beauty killing." Los Angeles Times, February 2: 2.
—. 1947. "Soldier's 'Dahlia' date tale newest clue in slaying." Los Angeles Times, February 6: 2.
—. 1947. "Soldier's leave time checked in 'Dahlia' murder." Los Angeles Times, February 7: 2.
—. 1947. "Suspect detained for questioning in 'Black Dahlia' mutilation murder." Los Angeles Times, January 20: 2.
—. 1947. "Tooth cavities clue checked in beauty slaying." Los Angeles Times, February 4: 2.
Nightingale, Suzan. 1982. "Author claims to have found 1947 murderer." Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Janaury 17.
United Press. 1947. "'Sick' veteran is booked in Dahlia death." Fresno Bee, January 29: 1.
—. 1947. "Spurned lover is hunted in murder of 'Black Dahlia'." Fresno Bee, January 17: 1.
—. 1947. "L.A. Police hope Dahliua murderer will surrender." Sacramento Bee, January 28: 4.
Weller, Sheila. 2015. "The sins of the father." Dujour, June 01.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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