EARLY LIFE:
Sharon Thor was born on October 28, 1966, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was one of five children of Frank, Sr. and Sonia Thor, and was the only daughter in the family. While Sharon was growing up, the family moved a few times, first to Roselle, then to Franklin, where they settled.
The Thor children initially attended parochial school, before switching to the public system upon relocating to Franklin. In the fall of 1982, Sharon was a student at Franklin Student High School and an avid dancer, having taken lessons since she was in preschool. She was so dedicated to the craft that, prior to enrolling in classes, she wore a brace for six months to help straighten her legs, which were turned inward.
At the time of her murder, Sharon was just two days shy of her 16th birthday.
MURDER:
On the evening of October 26, 1982, Sharon was watching television, while her father was relaxing in the living room and her mother was in the kitchen. She answered the phone when it rang at around 5:30 PM, and it appeared as though the call was for her, given her tone and the fact she stretched the cord as far as it could go, so she could talk to the person on the other end with some privacy, away from her parents.
Immediately after hanging up the phone, Sharon ran out the door, without her coat or purse, telling her mother she’d be back shortly. As the pair were to leave for the 15-year-old’s dance class at 5:45 PM, Sonia expected her daughter to return after only a few minutes. However, time ticked by, without Sharon coming back to the house.
Concerned, Sonia and Frank went to the Franklin Township Police Department to report their daughter missing, but were told they needed to wait 24 hours – as was the protocol back in the 1980s. Knowing they couldn’t sit back and wait until the next day, they launched their own search, going to the dance school and places Sharon was known to frequent. Sonia even took the family’s German Shepherd to a nearby wooded area, but there was no sign of Sharon.
Three days after she went missing, on October 29, Sharon’s bludgeoned body was discovered by a search team of firefighters in a wooded area, just a quarter-mile from her family’s home on John E. Busch Avenue. Approximately 25 yards from a dirt road and on private property maintained by a utility company, it appeared the person(s) responsible had attempted to cover up the crime.
An autopsy showed Sharon had died from blunt force trauma just one hour after she’d left home on the evening of October 26. Her head and chest had significant injuries, with multiple fractures to her ribs and skull. There were also indications of internal haemorrhaging. While it’s believed the 15-year-old was sexually assault, given her jeans and sweater were partially removed, this hasn’t been confirmed.
Near the body, investigators found a cement cinderblock and a two-inch-by-four-inch piece of lumber, which were likely the murder weapons.
INVESTIGATION:
Within days of Sharon’s body being found, investigators had interviewed 85 people, including family, friends and persons of interest. Over a dozen detectives from both the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the Franklin Township Police Department were assigned to the case, with a number of individuals identified as possibly being involved. However, they were never able to confirm any strong suspects.
According to Sonia, many of the parents at Franklin High School didn’t want police to speak with their children. She believes someone who knew the area killed Sharon, given the area where her body was found. While owned by the aforementioned utility company and posted with no trespassing signs, there were no fences to keep anyone out, and it was a known hangout spot for local teens, who used it to party, ride dirt bikes and socialize.
Early into the investigation, a child from the neighbourhood came forward and said they remembered seeing Sharon getting into a car with a loud muffler and two White men inside – one in the driver’s seat, who had dark hair, and one in the back. The teenager reportedly ran to the vehicle and jumped into the passenger-side seat. In 2009, when the case was reopened, it was revealed the pair were likely local to Franklin and either in the teens or early twenties when Sharon was murdered.
Along with the police investigation, Sharon’s siblings tried to hunt down her murderer. They knocked on doors and talked to a man who they believed was either responsible or knew the individual(s) who were.
Following the case being reopened in 2009, it was announced that a hearing was held regarding new evidence. Talking with the media, a defence attorney representing a possible suspect said they were to be presented with a motion to hold her client in “investigative” custody, as well as to obtain the unnamed individual’s DNA. Nothing has been released publicly regarding the outcome of this hearing.
In 2022, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office reiterated that the case was still being investigated and was in the hands of the Major Crimes Unit. The following year, Sharon’s remains were exhumed, presumably to see if there was any additional evidence to be gathered and to collect a useable DNA sample. Unhappy with how the investigation has proceeded, her niece, Sam, has launched a Change.org petition, asking that more be done to solve her aunt’s murder.
There are two rewards available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Sharon’s murder. Crime Stoppers of Somerset County is offering $5,000, while a community-raised fund has $4,000 in it.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 231-7100. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers of Somerset County at +1 (888) 577-8477.
Image Credit: Change.org
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