Killing Of 2 NJ Women Linked To Man 30 Years Later, Prosecutors Say

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The families of two murdered women may find a modicum of peace decades later after new evidence linked the killings to a dead man.

Francis T. Schooley, of Mantua, died at the age of 39 in 2000 and has been linked through DNA evidence to the 1993 murder of Marebeth Welsh, 24, of Woodlyne, and the 1994 murder of Jennifer Persia, 16, of Magnolia, authorities said Thursday.

Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay credited the advancement in DNA technology, along with the detective work done in Camden County, with the new lead.

"No matter how much time passes, we will continue to pursue justice for every victim," MacAulay added.

The Murder Of Marebeth Welsh

On November 14, 1993, at around 4:30 a.m., Camden Police found Marebeth Welsh lying face down on the sidewalk in the 300 block of Jackson Street in Camden with blood coming from her nose.

She was wearing a black and red checkered long-sleeve thermal shirt, pink and blue checkered pants, no shoes, and a sock only on her right foot.

The back of her clothes was dry, even though it had rained as late as 3:30 a.m., officials said, suggesting she was placed there after a homicide.

Welsh was declared dead at around 6:30 a.m.

Later that day, the Camden County Medical Examiner's Office conducted a post-mortem examination and determined that her cause of death was strangulation and confirmed a homicide.

Signs of sexual assault were also uncovered.

At the time, Welsh was estranged from her husband and living with two men at a home in the 200 block of Cypress Avenue in Woodlyne. Authorities were able to find a comforter from her second-floor rear bedroom that had blood on it.

Welsh's shirt, underwear, and the swabs collected from her body also tested positive for spermatozoa.

The DNA profiles from the swatches of Welsh's shirt and underwear didn't match the dried blood samples obtained from five men, including her husband and the two with whom she lived.

The Murder Of Jennifer Persia

On April 4, 1994, at around 8:45 p.m., the Magnolia Police Department responded to the 100 block of Jefferson Street for a report of an unconscious woman.

They found Jennifer Persia lying face-up on the floor of the living room with multiple stab wounds and a cloth threaded around her neck.

She was taken to the Camden County Medical Examiner's Office and declared dead shortly before noon.

Persia's cause of death was found to be multiple cuts to the neck and chest, strangulation, and multiple sharp and blunt other injuries, the prosecutor said.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

At the scene, authorities found blood evidence from her socks, the lower-level door towards the back exit of the home, and the master bedroom closet.

The blood was tested and came back connected to an unknown man. Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) results also returned no match.

In February 2021, a sample of the DNA was given to Parabon Nanolabs for analysis, which resulted in the closest match being to a second cousin once removed or third cousin.

The lab also provided a name for the potential match who was already dead.

Detectives talked with and took buccal swabs from the man's siblings and child.

After kinship analysis, the man was ruled out as having been able to contribute to the unknown DNA sample.

Evidence Is Resubmitted

In August 2025, Welsh's shirt and underwear were resubmitted to the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences for more DNA testing.

One unknown man was identified on a portion of a stain (sperm fraction testing) on both her shirt and underwear.

The DNA profile was entered into CODIS and returned a match to the unknown sample from blood at the scene of Persia's death.

After further genetic testing and interviews, authorities developed Schooley as a suspect and learned that he was dead.

Schooley had done construction work at the home of Persia's stepfather and at Sterling Auto Shop, which her stepfather co-owned.

Schooley was also the co-owner of a mini race car, which was sponsored by Sterling.

One of his siblings was shown a photograph of Welsh by officials and confirmed that they had seen the two together before.

On January 27, detectives talked with one of Schooley's parents and took multiple buccal swabs. They did the same with his sibling three days later.

Kinship analysis reviewed on March 9 showed that his parent shared more than 3,500 centimorgans of autosomal DNA with the unknown DNA profile.

A parent's connection to a child is usually between 3,300 and 3,700, officials added.

It was at least 4.8 million times more likely that the source of the DNA matched a child of Schooley's than if the two sources were unrelated.

The results also showed that it was at least 150,000 times more likely that the source was a full sibling to the brother of Schooley than if the source and the brother were unrelated.

Another test supporting the lead showed that it was around 170 times more likely to be connected.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office Homicide and Cold Case Unit found probable cause to charge Schooley in both of these cases if he were still alive.

"The Borough of Magnolia and the Magnolia Police Department have remained committed to honoring Jennifer's memory," said Chief John Huston. "Our hearts are with her family...we hope it offers them a measure of peace."

A gazebo at Albertson Park in Magnolia is dedicated in her honor.

Cold cases were being pursued by individual detectives prior to 2024, when the Office established a full-time, dedicated Homicide Cold Case Unit. This new division focuses on cases that have the chance to be furthered by advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy.

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