Introduction
On May 3, 1974 a 19-year old student at Rutgers University in Camden, Margaret Day, was murdered by an unknown assailant. The murdered approached Miss Day as she approached The Grille, a bar at 213 North 6th Street that was frequented by Rutgers students at that time.
The murder apparently was not part of a robbery, and no connection could be made to anyone who had been in the bar earlier that evening when a disturbance occurred. With little forensic evidence to go on, standard investigative procedure at that time under the circumstances was to question possible suspects and try to obtain a confession. Although many parties, some with extensive criminal backgrounds were questioned, no one admitted to the crime.
In June of 2006 I met a retired homicide investigator who had worked for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. He spoke about the case, telling me, "This was the only case I never cleared. After all these years, I still think about this at least three times a week."
I searched the web, and only found one reference to this case, the news article at left from the June 3, 1974 edition of the Bucks County PA Courier-Times.
It has been over 40 years since Miss Day was slain. Perhaps the person who did this to her has passed on as well, perhaps not. In any event, she deserves to not be forgotten, and the circumstances of her death demand our attention still.
— Phil Cohen
Bucks County Courier-Times - June 3, 1974
Reward offered in murder cases
Camden (UPI) — The brutal murders of a high school girl and a college coed, killed in separate but possibly related incidents, prompted the Camden County prosecutor's office to offer $2,500 rewards Saturday for information about each death.
A spokesman said that two $2500 rewards will be paid for information laeading to convictions in the death of Margaret Day, 19, of Cinnaminson on May 3 and the murder of 14-year-old Carolyn Jordon of Camden.
Miss Day, a student at Rutgers University, was killed by a shotgun blast in the 500 block of Cooper Street in Camden. The Jordon child, a high school freshman, was found floating in a Gibbsboro pond and had been tied and gagged. Police said that a susequent autopsy indicated she died of a massive brain hemmorhage.
Persons having information about either murder are asked to telephone the Camden County Prosecutor's office at: 609 966-8400.