Killer Identified In 30-Year-Old Barnegat Cold Case: Prosecutor

BARNEGAT, NJ — Thirty years ago, Deborah "Debbie" Ann Bloomquist was sexually assaulted and killed in Barnegat. Now, investigators have announced they have identified her killer.

Bloomquist's body was discovered on Oct. 26, 1991 in a heavily wooded area in Barnegat, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Now, approaching the 31-year anniversary of her death, the man who killed the then-30-year-old woman has been identified.

John Pelletier, formerly of Barnegat, is responsible for Bloomquist's murder, Billhimer said. He died in North Dakota in 2015, Billhimer said.

At the time of Bloomquist's death, an autopsy by the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that she had been sexually assaulted and died from multiple stab wounds, Billhimer said. The cause of death was identified as homicide, he said.

An investigation was launched by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Barnegat Township Police Department and Ocean County Sherriff’s Office, he said.

During the investigation, biological evidence was collected and preserved, but at the time there was no technology available to do DNA testing, Billhimer said.

At the time of her death, Bloomquist had been living in a motel in Monmouth County, Billhimer said. She was last seen Oct. 24, two days before her death, at a tavern in Asbury Park, Billhimer said.

She had no known ties to the Barnegat area, and no leads were established, so the case went cold, Billhimer said.

More than a decade later, the biological evidence led to the development of a male DNA profile, Billhimer said. In Jan. 2022, Billhimer directed the case to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General - Cold Case Task Force and the investigation was reopened.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Barnegat Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit analyzed the DNA.

With technological advances, and the assistance of BODE Technology, detectives were able to identify the 1991 DNA as belonging to Pelletier, and concluded that he was responsible for Bloomquist's murder, Billhimer said.

“After more than three decades, this hideous crime has, at long last, been solved. Though Pelletier never faced justice for his actions in this life, we nevertheless hope this conclusive determination brings some level of peace and closure to the family of Debbie Ann Bloomquist,” Billhimer said.

“I’d like to thank the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and the New Jersey State Police for the creation of the Cold Case Task Force. The resources made available through the collaborative investigative process the Cold Case Task Force provides allowed us to finally solve this heinous crime. Barnegat Township Chief of Police Keith Germain and Barnegat Township Detective William Hetrick deserve a lot of credit for never giving up on this case. I am grateful for their efforts,” Billhimer added.