Jeannette DePalma: Satanic cult or garden variety sicko?
On September 19, 1972, a thoughtful dog approached its human with a present. Unfortunately, the super thoughtful gift would end up being the severed arm of a missing local girl. The discovery of the arm would soon lead police and search teams to the Houdaille Quarry in Springfield, New Jersey. It was there the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered. Her remains, sans arm, had been placed near a smattering of rocks and small logs in the quarry, according to police. When what remained of her was brought to the medical examiner, her identity had to be confirmed by dental records.
According to her family, Jeannette was an active member of her church’s youth program and was planning to attend bible college after she graduated high school. Her mother really stressed how religious her daughter was, going on to talk about her work with young drug addicts in the community and how much she enjoyed helping people. She was bright, beautiful, and well-liked by everyone it seems. It’s pretty clear that her loss was and continues to be deeply felt. Outside of her charity work and involvement with her church, friends described Jeannette as a typical teenage girl, a tad bit rebellious, but no more than your average high school student, after all, she was still finding herself.
Jeannette Depalma was missing for a total of six weeks before her body was discovered. She had been reported missing on August 7th after she didn’t return home from visiting a friend in Berkely Heights and her mother became concerned. Her mom said she left the house at 1:30 to catch the train and was never seen again. It turns out the teen had never actually made it to her friends or even the train station for that matter. When the young woman’s body was found in the quarry she was face down among the brush and a fire truck with an aerial ladder had to be used to remove her remains from the scene. Donald Schwerdt, one of the officers on scene that day claims that the body was found atop a “great big mound” and that she was wearing stained tan pants and a navy shirt. Other details of the scene vary wildly, with some officers who were there that day, giving several different accounts of what they saw. Some accounts say that there were signs of cult activity or witchcraft because her body was found nestled in a bed of wood that resembled the shape of a coffin. It was also said that several makeshift crosses found were found among the rubbish. The town gossip made it seem like a far more dramatic (and satanic) scene, but I’m sure it was pretty jarring nonetheless. Since her body was so decomposed it was impossible to determine how she died they ruled her cause of death a “Suspicious Death”. With no evidence of fatal wounds caused by bullets or a knife and no sign of broken bones, strangulations seemed like a likely cause. The one thing they did find was high levels of lead in her body, but that didn’t really aid in the investigation as they were unable to explain its cause. Since there was virtually no evidence and no credible leads, the case went cold and the family was left wondering what really happened to Jeannette.
While evidence and fact are truly lacking in this case, theories abound, so let’s get into it. For one, this case has been connected to a couple of other high-profile cases in the ’70s but since nothing concrete has been discovered it’s mostly speculation at this point. Most notably her death was (loosley) connected to John List, a terrible man who murdered his entire family to start a new life (guess he never heard of divorce). Personally, I don’t see how these crimes could be linked, other than geographically. List killed said family in New Jersey, and though he was an absolute dumpster fire of a person, I don’t see what he would get out of killing Jeanette. I’m not going to get too into it, but one of the reasons List gave for killing his family was that he felt he needed to save their souls from satan. He apparently was just fine though and didn’t need saving. Not much of a connection if you ask me. The police, on the other hand, believed it was likely a drug overdose that killed the teen after none of their initial suspects panned out. Though there were no drugs or paraphernalia found at the scene. And based on her friends and family’s testimony the worst thing Jeanette did was smoke a little weed here and there so a drug overdose seems like a big leap from the occasional joint. To be honest, I think they just wanted all of the witch and satan talk to stop and for everyone to move on. Doesn’t really seem fair to Jeannette (or her parents) but Okie Dokie. The local priest, however, had a different theory. He thought Jeannette had been killed by Satanists, yes Satanists. And once that story got out, all hell broke loose and the rumors spread like a disease through the town. Rev. James Tate told reporters that he thought it was a strong possibility that Jeanette was trying to convert one or more “devil worshipers” and that “their fanaticism arose and they killed her”. Between that and the fact that her body was found on a cliff called “Devils Teeth,” it’s easy to see how things got out of hand and the details of the case got so dramatized over the years. It became somewhat of an urban legend, in New Jersey at least.
The Satanist angle is fascinating, mainly due to the lack of evidence of any occult element in the first place. It seems, at least to me, like a case of hysteria. Though since the case came only three years after the Manson murders, and during the height of satanic panic, it’s not really shocking that the mysterious death of a Christian teenager would cause some upset. People need a monster to blame for tragedies like this. They can’t accept that a “normal” person from their community could do something like that, especially without the presence of darker forces. The uncomfortable truth is that for the most part murderers are your average everyday person, that’s what makes them the most frightening. But I guess people just see what they want to see sometimes, our minds are more powerful than we think. These cases do something to people, I think when someone so innocent gets killed it’s easy to get stuck thinking about how it could have been your daughter, sister, or friend. It becomes too real.
In the late 90s, a local publication of all things weird and scary called Weird New Jersey received a letter that renewed interest in the case. The letter said “There was an alleged ritual sacrifice in the Houdaille Quarry near Springfield. A local dog brought a body part home to its master which led to an investigation.” Soon after a book called Death On The Devils Teeth by Jessie P. Pollack and Mark Moran was written about the case. There is also a Facebook page named Justice For Jeannette DePalma dedicated to finding out what really happened to Jeannette, and keeping her memory alive. No DNA has been tested and there’s never really been a clear explanation of why, but my guess is they don’t even have her clothes anymore to test.
To this day the murder of Jeannette Depalma remains unsolved, though her family, friends, and true crime buffs alike have tried their best to find answers over the years. If you have any information about this case please contact the Union County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 527–4500. There’s also and change.org petition you can sign to help get Jeannette’s death changed from “Suspicious Death to “Homicide”: https://bit.ly/3CHDnrN. Those that loved Jeannette deserve answers and to finally have some closure.
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