Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with IHeartRadio.

On August 7, 1972, Jeanette DePalma disappeared in Springfield, New Jersey, four days after her 16th birthday.

That afternoon, she told her mom she was going to take the local train

to see her friends in Berkeley Heights, about seven miles from home. But when she didn't return

later that evening, her mother called the police. The police discovered she had never made it to

her friend's house. Welcome to a new season of criminalia where we're exploring

historical cold cases. I'm Maria Tremarki. And I'm Holly Fry. Jeanette was the youngest of five

daughters and three sons born to Salvatore and Florence De Palma. The De Palmas belong to the

Assemblies of God Evangelist Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey,

only about 12 miles from their home.

And Jeanette was known among her family and friends to be very devoted to her faith.

The family lived in an upper-class neighborhood in Springfield,

where on a clear day, you could catch a view of Manhattan's skyline in the distance.

It was the kind of town where people knew each other,

where they were involved in their community,

and where crime was rare.

Jeanette's parents described their daughter as, quote,

someone who tried to lead others to Jesus.

They also stated she was involved in community work to aid drug addicts and had planned to

attend a local Bible college. No one agreed or agrees what happened to Jeanette that day in August.

It was on the morning of September 19th, six weeks after her disappearance when authorities got

their first clue. a clue left on the

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