11 Cold Case Mysteries Remain Unsolved In Somerset County

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Dating back to the 1960s, Somerset County has a number of unsolved crimes or "cold cases" that remain as of 2025.

According to FBI data, around half of murder cases in the U.S. go unsolved. These investigations, known as cold cases, can last decades, and only rarely do they reach conclusions.

According to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office(SCPO), there are 11 active cold cases in the county.

Most recently in December 2024, the SCPO was able to solve the Nov. 4, 1997 cold case strangulation murder of Tamara “Tammy” Tignor at Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater.

Robert A. Creter, 61, of Winnipeg, Canada, pleaded guilty to the first-degree aggravated manslaughter, admitting "he manually strangled Tignor with his bare hands, causing her death," according to authorities.

On July 23, Creter was sentenced to 10 years in the New Jersey State Prison.

See the remaining 11 Somerset County cold cases below:

Sophie Olejnik – Suspicious Death

On June 3, 1963, a 14-year-old girl, named Sophie Olejnik, was reported missing to the Manville Police Department by her family. Sophie Olejnik left home on Sunday, June 2, 1963, to walk to the Polish Falcon Camp on Falcon Road in Hillsborough. On June 8, 1963, two boys were walking near the Royce Brook west of the Royce Brook Bridge when they discovered Sophie Olejnik’s body lying in a few inches of water. An autopsy revealed that she died from forced drowning.

Investigation indicated that Sophie was last seen walking south on Sunnymeade Road towards the Falcon Camp on Sunday afternoon. She told a friend she was going to try to get a ride to the camp.

Gail Ann Kalinowski – Suspicious Death

On Sept. 8, 1971, a 13-year-old girl, named Gail Ann Kalinowski, was reported missing to the Manville Police Department by her father. Gail Ann’s sandals and glasses were found in an open lot near the end of Green Street close to the border of Hillsborough. On Sept. 26, 1971, two Manville teenagers were hunting in the Manville landfill area off Dukes Parkway East when they discovered Gail Ann’s body in an apparent floodplain. All her clothing was on except for the sandals and glasses previously found.

Investigation revealed that Gail Ann was last seen near the Parkway Deli (located at Dukes Parkway East, Manville) the night she was reported missing by three teenagers who knew Gail Anne.

Sandra Kucks - Homicide

On Sept. 14, 1976, the body of a 37-year-old Rocky Hill resident, Sandra Kucks, was located in a 1972 Ford Station Wagon that was registered to her husband, in a wooded area off Research Road, Montgomery. Kucks was lying face up in the rear area of the vehicle and wearing only a bra and underwear. The approximate time Kucks’ body was located was at 3:36 pm. Earlier on that date, at 9:45 a.m., Kucks' husband reported her missing and stated to the police that she left the home at 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 13, 1976. An autopsy revealed the cause and manner of death as strangulation by ligature, homicide.

Andros Szilvasi – Robbery/Homicide

On Oct. 3, 1977, Andros Szilvasi, the owner of Auto Medic (located on Rt. 206 South, Somerville) was found dead inside the business. Investigation revealed that Szilvasi and an employee were closing the shop when an unidentified man approached and pointed a shotgun at them. The unidentified man ordered Szilvasi and the employee to the office area of the shop. The man emptied their wallets and demanded the keys to a vehicle parked outside the shop. The man asked Szilvasi for more money and then began to stab Szilvasi. The unidentified man left the Auto Medic. Szilvasi was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle stolen by the unidentified man was later recovered in close proximity to the Auto Medic.

Sharon Thor – Homicide

On Oct. 26, 1982, at around 5:30 p.m., 15-year-old Sharon Thor was preparing to leave her Franklin Township home for her weekly ballet dance lesson, which was three miles away in Bound Brook, when the home telephone rang. Sharon appeared to be pleased to hear from the caller. As soon as she hung up the phone, she told her mother that she would be right back as she rushed outside to the street. She climbed into the passenger side of a vehicle that had pulled up in front of her house, according to a child who had been playing in the front yard.

Three days later, a team of searchers found Sharon’s body discarded in a wooded area about a quarter mile from her home.

Georgia Ann Irwin – Suspicious Death

On Nov. 25, 1985, skeletal remains of a human body were found off Route 287, Bernards Township, in a wooded area adjacent to the roadway. The body was found by four people employed with a tree-cutting service. The skeletal remains were unidentified until March 14, 2005, when the daughter of the deceased contacted the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) Missing Persons Unit in reference to her mother’s disappearance from Hazel Park, Michigan, in June of 1984. The daughter contacted the NJSP after conducting an internet search and learning of the discovery of unidentified human remains. Dental records were subsequently matched to the skeletal remains and the daughter’s mother, Georgia Ann Irwin.

Investigation revealed that Georgia Ann Irwin’s fiancé reported her missing in Hazel Park, Michigan, on June 15, 1984. Irwin was suspected of traveling to the Bronx, New York.

Richard Wright Jr. - Homicide

On Aug. 29, 1994, Franklin Police were dispatched to the Sportsman Inn (located at 543 Somerset Street, Franklin) for a report of heavy gunfire. Upon responding, Franklin Police saw a large group of people on the street and a large group encircling the victim, identified as Richard Wright Jr., a 19-year-old New Brunswick resident, who was lying in the fast lane of Route 27. After efforts were made to disperse the crowd, police and EMS personnel were able to take the victim to a nearby hospital. Wright Jr. was subsequently pronounced dead. While police officers were at a nearby hospital, an additional shooting victim was reported to the police with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigation revealed that the shooting took place outside the Sportsman Inn after a witness observed Wright Jr. and an unidentified man arguing. The unidentified man is seen shooting and then running towards South Dover Avenue.

Gary Butler - Homicide

On Feb. 26, 1996, 25-year-old Manville resident, Gary Butler, was found dead in a retention pond on North Main St in Manville near the border of Bridgewater and the Raritan River. The cause of death, as reported by the Regional Medical Examiner's Office, was blunt force trauma. The investigation revealed that the victim had been at Perhach’s Bar on Main St. in Manville earlier in the evening on Feb. 25, shooting pool with several of the bar’s regular patrons. After leaving the bar sometime after midnight, he walked to a friend’s home and then returned to The Chester House, where he rented a room on the second floor. Sometime between 2 and 6 a.m., the victim managed to travel to Bound Brook. The investigation reveals that Butler was apparently returning to Manville from Bound Brook when he was assaulted.

Joseph Sass - Robbery/Homicide

On June 29, 2000, at around 9:20 p.m., 32-year-old Joseph Sass, a dedicated, well-liked employee at the King George Exxon Gas Station, was working the late shift as he had done so many times in the past 10 years. The gas station is located within feet of the entrance ramp to the well-traveled Interstate 78 and King George Road, in Bernards Township.

On the night of the robbery/homicide, several witnesses reported that a black male subject approached the gas station on foot from the south side entrance (nearest to I-78) and entered the vending machine area of the station. This suspect was further described as approximately 5’9” to 6’1” tall, with a thin build, dark complexion, and between 20 to 30 years old.

Witnesses reported that the suspect man engaged in a brief conversation with the attendant about the vending machines taking dollar bills. The witnesses then reported that the suspect asked Sass for change, at which time the attendant removed a large quantity of bills from his pocket. The suspect then produced a handgun and demanded that Sass give him all the money. After the attendant complied, the suspect shot the victim in the head at point-blank range. As Joseph Sass lay dying in a pool of blood, the suspect walked briskly out of the station in the same direction he had entered moments earlier. Witnesses then saw a late-model, dark-colored commercial-type van fleeing the area and proceeding westbound onto I-78.

Margaret Haddican – Missing Person

On Oct. 12, 2006, Margaret Haddican’s husband reported her missing from their family residence in Warren. Investigation revealed that the husband last saw Haddican on Oct. 10, 2006. On the day Haddican went missing, her husband returned home from work to find their baby in the crib; however, Haddican was not home. Haddican’s whereabouts are currently still unknown.

George R. Kavanaugh - Vehicular Homicide

On March 6, 2015, at around 9:27 p.m., 75-year-old Somerville resident George R. Kavanaugh was found lying in the parking lot/sidewalk of the Lincoln Hose Fire Company located on Warren Street in Somerville. Kavanaugh was hit by an unknown vehicle, which left the scene before police arrival. Kavanaugh was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

A witness told investigating officers that a light-colored sports utility vehicle was seen backing into the driveway of the firehouse, hitting George Kavanaugh, and then driving onto Warren Street and leaving the area. The investigation revealed that Kavanaugh had attended a gathering at the Lincoln Hose Fire Company that night and was leaving when he was hit by a vehicle in the parking lot.

Tips

Anyone with information on any of these unsolved crimes is asked to contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477), tips@888577tips.org, or on the STOPit app (access code: SOMERSETNJ).

Information can also be provided anonymously in the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Anonymous TIPS system HERE.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.