The Doe Network:
Case File 288UFNJ

1234
Reconstructions of Victim

Unidentified White Female

  • Discovered on March 5, 1989 in Mercer County, New Jersey.
  • She was a victim of homicide.

Vital Statistics

  • Estimated age: 18 - 30 years old
  • Approximate Height and Weight: 5'0"-5'9"; 100 - 140 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Dirty blonde to light brown hair; blue eyes. Mole on left chin; 1' to 1.5" scar over left eye. Ear lobes scarred from piercing. Blood type A. HIV positive.
  • Dentals: All teeth had been extracted except for 3rd molars which were incompletely erupted or impacted.
  • Other: Her name may be Susie.
  • DNA: Available.

    Case History
    The victim was murdered by Joel David Rifkin in March 1989. He picked her up in Manhattan’s East Village, NY at around 22:00. She was a drug addict and prostitute.
    Rifkin beat and strangled her and then dismembered her body. To foil identification, Rifkin severed her fingertips and pulled her teeth with pliers, then jammed her severed head into an old paint can.
    Rifkin drove the body parts across the state line to New Jersey, dropping the head and legs in the woods near Hopewell. Then he returned to Manhattan, pitching the arms and torso into the East River. On March 5, 1989, a member of the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in Hopewell Township, NJ found the can containing the victim's head near the 7th tee. Her legs were found in Pequonnock Creek, Jefferson Township, NJ on April 8, 1989. Match confirmed by DNA testing.
    The case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993.


    Joel Rifkin, circa 1993

    Investigators
    If you have any information about this case please contact:
    Hopewell Township Police Department
    609-737-3100
    You may remain anonymous when submitting information.

    Agency Case Number:
    H02489-14

    NCIC Number:
    U347704762
    Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

    Source Information:
    Crime Library
    New Jersey State Police

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    Last Updated: 11-1-2011 - By: BR / Web Assist