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10 months ago
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EARLY LIFE:
Sharon Thor was calved connected October 28, 1966, successful Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was 1 of 5 children of Frank, Sr. and Sonia Thor, and was the lone girl successful the family. While Sharon was increasing up, the household moved a fewer times, archetypal to Roselle, past to Franklin, wherever they settled.
The Thor children initially attended parochial school, earlier switching to the nationalist strategy upon relocating to Franklin. In the autumn of 1982, Sharon was a pupil astatine Franklin Student High School and an avid dancer, having taken lessons since she was successful preschool. She was truthful dedicated to the trade that, anterior to enrolling successful classes, she wore a brace for six months to assistance straighten her legs, which were turned inward.
At the clip of her murder, Sharon was conscionable 2 days shy of her 16th birthday.
MURDER:
On the evening of October 26, 1982, Sharon was watching television, portion her begetter was relaxing successful the surviving country and her parent was successful the kitchen. She answered the telephone erstwhile it rang astatine astir 5:30 PM, and it appeared arsenic though the telephone was for her, fixed her code and the information she stretched the cord arsenic acold arsenic it could go, truthful she could speech to the idiosyncratic connected the different extremity with immoderate privacy, distant from her parents.
Immediately aft hanging up the phone, Sharon ran retired the door, without her overgarment oregon purse, telling her parent she’d beryllium backmost shortly. As the brace were to permission for the 15-year-old’s creation people astatine 5:45 PM, Sonia expected her girl to instrumentality aft lone a fewer minutes. However, clip ticked by, without Sharon coming backmost to the house.
Concerned, Sonia and Frank went to the Franklin Township Police Department to study their girl missing, but were told they needed to hold 24 hours – arsenic was the protocol backmost successful the 1980s. Knowing they couldn’t beryllium backmost and hold until the adjacent day, they launched their ain search, going to the creation schoolhouse and places Sharon was known to frequent. Sonia adjacent took the family’s German Shepherd to a adjacent wooded area, but determination was nary motion of Sharon.
Three days aft she went missing, connected October 29, Sharon’s bludgeoned assemblage was discovered by a hunt squad of firefighters successful a wooded area, conscionable a quarter-mile from her family’s location connected John E. Busch Avenue. Approximately 25 yards from a ungraded roadworthy and connected backstage spot maintained by a inferior company, it appeared the person(s) liable had attempted to screen up the crime.
An autopsy showed Sharon had died from blunt unit trauma conscionable 1 hr aft she’d near location connected the evening of October 26. Her caput and thorax had important injuries, with aggregate fractures to her ribs and skull. There were besides indications of interior haemorrhaging. While it’s believed the 15-year-old was sexually assault, fixed her jeans and sweater were partially removed, this hasn’t been confirmed.
Near the body, investigators recovered a cement cinderblock and a two-inch-by-four-inch portion of lumber, which were apt the execution weapons.
INVESTIGATION:
Within days of Sharon’s assemblage being found, investigators had interviewed 85 people, including family, friends and persons of interest. Over a twelve detectives from some the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the Franklin Township Police Department were assigned to the case, with a fig of individuals identified arsenic perchance being involved. However, they were ne'er capable to corroborate immoderate beardown suspects.
According to Sonia, galore of the parents astatine Franklin High School didn’t privation constabulary to talk with their children. She believes idiosyncratic who knew the country killed Sharon, fixed the country wherever her assemblage was found. While owned by the aforementioned inferior institution and posted with nary trespassing signs, determination were nary fences to support anyone out, and it was a known hangout spot for section teens, who utilized it to party, thrust ungraded bikes and socialize.
Early into the investigation, a kid from the neighbourhood came guardant and said they remembered seeing Sharon getting into a car with a large muffler and 2 White men wrong – 1 successful the driver’s seat, who had acheronian hair, and 1 successful the back. The teen reportedly ran to the conveyance and jumped into the passenger-side seat. In 2009, erstwhile the lawsuit was reopened, it was revealed the brace were apt section to Franklin and either successful the teens oregon aboriginal twenties erstwhile Sharon was murdered.
Along with the constabulary investigation, Sharon’s siblings tried to hunt down her murderer. They knocked connected doors and talked to a antheral who they believed was either liable oregon knew the individual(s) who were.
Following the lawsuit being reopened successful 2009, it was announced that a proceeding was held regarding caller evidence. Talking with the media, a defence lawyer representing a imaginable fishy said they were to beryllium presented with a question to clasp her lawsuit successful “investigative” custody, arsenic good arsenic to get the unnamed individual’s DNA. Nothing has been released publically regarding the result of this hearing.
In 2022, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office reiterated that the lawsuit was inactive being investigated and was successful the hands of the Major Crimes Unit. The pursuing year, Sharon’s remains were exhumed, presumably to spot if determination was immoderate further grounds to beryllium gathered and to cod a useable DNA sample. Unhappy with however the probe has proceeded, her niece, Sam, has launched a Change.org petition, asking that much beryllium done to lick her aunt’s murder.
There are 2 rewards disposable for accusation starring to the apprehension and condemnation of those liable for Sharon’s murder. Crime Stoppers of Somerset County is offering $5,000, portion a community-raised money has $4,000 successful it.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office astatine (908) 231-7100. Tips tin besides beryllium submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers of Somerset County astatine +1 (888) 577-8477.
Image Credit: Change.org
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