Bench To Be Dedicated Saturday In Honor Of Teen Murdered In Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Columbia High School student Carol Ann Farino, 17, was walking home from her waitressing job in Maplewood on Nov. 3, 1966 when she was taken away and strangled with her own stocking.

Her younger sister and others have begged local law enforcement officials for years to reopen the unsolved case.

Now, family and supporters will dedicate a memorial bench to the former student and hold a rally for her in Maplewood this Saturday, April 15.

It's been 57 years since Farino finished her shift at Milt’s Cup and Saucer and never made it home.

The week that Farino died, "Last Train To Clarksville" by the Monkees had just replaced "96 Tears" by Question Mark and the Mysterians as the number one song. Lyndon Johnson was about to finish his third year as president. And Carol Ann Farino's little sister was 11.

Cynthia Farino, who now lives in Red Bank, has long asked police for more information what happened to her big sister, but has gotten few answers.

"Since her brutal death, local law enforcement has done very little to pursue the facts and her killer," says a press release about the upcoming dedication, "while also ignoring pleas from Carol’s family, especially her sister, Cynthia."

Maplewood Township Committee member Jamaine Cripe and other officials will attend the ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and local musicians Dan Crisci and Ginny Johnston will perform in Carol’s honor.

Essex County Prosecutor's Office Responds

Journalist Joe Strupp released a book in 2021 about the murder, called A Long Walk Home (Amarna Books). He and Carol's sister recently launched a GoFundMe page that so far has raised more than $1,500 for the bench.

The bench is meant to "honor her memory and help raise attention to the still unfinished business of solving the crime, [and hold] Maplewood Police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office accountable," supporters said this week.

On Tuesday, when asked about the case, a spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said they would not comment.

Still Warm When Found

A New York Daily News account of the case from Nov. 5, 1966 — two days after Farino was found dead —says her body was dropped off at a driveway three blocks from the restaurant, and was still warm when police found her.

The location, near the Maplewood Country Club, was eight blocks from Farino's home on Jefferson Avenue.

Strupp and supporters said in a release this week that originally, law enforcement "mishandled the investigation and chose to focus on people Carol knew, including her own father, rather than the likelihood of the killer being a stranger. Cynthia is also demanding that Carol’s clothes from that night be returned and tested for DNA evidence."

Strupp added, "Since A Long Walk Home was published, two former Maplewood police officers who were among the first on the scene have come forward and revealed that they were told for years after the killing to keep attention on Cynthia and Carol’s father, Frank, even though he had a clear alibi."

Strupp and others have launched a podcast about the case, which has so far posted three episodes. There's also a Change.org petition to reopen the case:

• https://anchor.fm/joe-strupp9
• https://chng.it/xtzRhDQk2B

The bench dedication ceremony will be open to the public. It takes place this Saturday, April 15 at 11 a.m. at the Gazebo, 1662 Springfield Ave., Maplewood.

READ MORE: Sister Of 1966 Maplewood Murder Victim Still Seeking Answers