28 Murders Still Unsolved In Morris County

Morris County is generally a very safe county to live in. There have been low rates of violent crime in recent years, including murder. But sometimes, cases go unsolved.

There are currently 28 unsolved murder cases in the county, ranging as far back as 1933 and with one as recent as 2011. Most unsolved cases date back to before DNA technology became widely available; only one murder this century remains unsolved. They're all different but have one important thing in common: they're still unsolved.

Cases aren't closed until they're solved, Morris County spokesperson Peter DiGennaro told Patch, regardless of how long ago they happened.

"The cases remain open investigations and do not close unless solved. They are reviewed periodically as new technology is developed, and as new leads or information are made available," said DiGennaro.

People with information on crimes, regardless of how old they are, are encouraged to call tips in, DiGennaro said. They can report it online through CrimeStoppers, by calling the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200, or by contacting their local police departments.

Here are 28 currently unsolved Morris County murders:

2011: Chafic “Steve” Ezzeddine

The owner and operator of the Kenvil Diner in Roxbury, Steve Ezzeddine was found dead inside the restaurant on May 28, 2011. There is currently a $25,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest in this case. You can read more about his death here.

1996: Richard Breitbarth

Richard Breitbarth was shot to death in the driveway of his Whippany home on 1996. The 48-year-old was the owner and president of Biophase Systems in Parsippany.

1995: Debra Walton

The 34-year-old Paterson native was reported missing by her sister on July 29, 1995. She was found dead from blunt force trauma in an industrial park in Lincoln Park on Aug. 2, 1995.

1994: Reginald “Buck” Montgomery

After being last seen alive at the Bronx County Courthouse in New York, Buck Montgomery was found dead on Beaverbrook Road in Lincoln Park on May 17, 1994.

1993: Elbrous Evdoev

Brooklyn resident Elbrous Evdoev was found dead in the parking lot of an auto salvage shop in Montville on May 6, 1993. He had been reported missing since February of that year.

1989: Robert Wunderle

Robert Wunderle, 45, lived in Westfield and worked in Woodbridge, but his body was found near a drainage ditch on Beach Street in Rockaway Borough on Nov. 16, 1989. He was wearing business clothes when he was shot to death.

1986: Lester Mickens

89-year-old Lester Mickens was last seen alive sitting on his front porch on Sept. 17, 1986. The next day, he was found dead in his Kinnelon home, where the decorated World War I veteran lived alone.

1985: Josephine Dawda

Josephine Dawda was found dead inside the Morristown home where she worked as a live-in housekeeper on Jan. 15, 1985. Police released a sketch of the murderer, but the case remains unsolved.

1984: Baby Jane Doe In Mendham

Two boys came across the body of a newborn baby girl at 7 Harmony Lane in Mendham Township on Christmas Eve 1984.

1983: Judy Brown

28-year-old Judy Brown, from Rockaway, was found dead in her car in the parking lot of a Parsippany steakhouse on Jan. 5, 1983. She was last seen alive the day before at work in Ledgewood.

1982: James Wescoe

James Wescoe was last seen alive at the Park Tavern in Madison on Oct. 21, 1982. His body was found later that morning at the Madison train station.

1982: Christopher Thomas

Christopher Thomas was at Rockaway Townsquare mall with a girlfriend when a man in sunglasses walked up to him and shot him on Oct. 1, 1982. A sketch of the suspect was released (above left) but the murder remains unsolved.

1981: Dr. Rafael Morales

A forensic psychiatrist who had an office in Morristown, Dr. Morales was found dead in his car in a parking lot down the road on July 24, 1981. A white car with a red interior was spotted in the area the night the 61-year-old died.

1980: Richard Sikorsky

27-year-old Richard Sikorsky was found dead in his basement apartment in Morristown on Aug. 11, 1980. He lived alone at the time.

1980: Walter “Whitey” Burd

Whitey Burd was found dead at the Circle Lanes Bowling Alley on July 8, 1980. Burd was working as the night watchman the night he died when a break-in happened.

1971: Shum Sang & Toki Sang

The owners of a popular Chinese restaurant, House of Sang, were both murdered in Parsippany on Jan. 18, 1971. Shum Sang, 39, was found dead near a car while Toki Sang was found dead inside of it. Police released a sketch of the murderer, but the case remains unsolved.

1970: Joyce Coleman

28-year-old Joyce Coleman was found dead in her Washington Township home by her husband on Feb. 28, 1970.

1969: Unidentified Male Infant

The body of a baby boy was found on Long Hill Road in Harding on July 4, 1969.

1969: Alexander Messier

Alexander Messier ran out of his Pequannock home after hearing his daughter call for help after she was attacked by an assailant in the middle of the night on Feb. 3, 1969. The assailant killed Messier, who was 45 at the time. Police release a sketch of the murderer, but the case remains unsolved.

1967: Unidentified Female Infant

The body of a baby girl was found in Harding, on Baileys Mill Road on March 3, 1967.

1963: Serena Waterman

The 61-year-old woman was found dead inside her Chatham home after it caught fire on Oct. 23, 1963. Police determined she’d died before the fire, and her death was ruled a homicide.

1959: Unidentified Female Infant

The body of a newborn baby girl was found in the woods near Vail Road in Parsippany on May 24, 1959.

1956: John Richard Bowers

The 8-year-old boy was last seen alive near the parking lot of his apartment complex in Newark. He was found dead on July 31, 1956 in Rockaway Township. A witness told police they saw a black sedan shortly after he went missing.

1955: Unidentified Male Infant

The body of a baby boy was found near a bridge in Long Hill Township.

1954: Hyman Goldstein

Goldstein’s body was found in the backseat of a stolen car on Swamp Road in East Hanover. The 29-year-old was from Brooklyn, and the car was stolen out of Newark.

1947: Santo Joseph DiStefano

DiStefano was last seen alive on March 22, 1947 at a tavern in Parsippany. Exactly two months later his dead body was found on Green Pond Road in Rockaway Township.

1945: Unidentified Male Infant

An infant boy was found off of Brooklake Road in Florham Park on Feb. 3, 1945.

1945: Thomas Large & Stanley Kukes

The two men were discovered dead off the side of Route 46 in Montville on Dec. 13, 1945. Both men were 38 at the time of their deaths.

1933: Anna Ulm

The body of 45-year-old Anna Ulm was found in Mount Arlington on Aug. 13, 1933.

All images via the Morris County Prosecutor's Office