The cold case Murder of Jennifer Barziloski - Edwardsville, Pennsylvania - June 23, 2001
On the evening of June 23, 2001, 18-year-old Jennifer Barziloski left to go out with 'Steve' after asking her mother for some cigarettes. No one knew that she closed the door behind her for the last time. Jennifer never came home.
The police were called when the missing became clear. They soon conducted an extensive investigation. In it they spoke with family, friends and of course with Steve. He was the last person Jennifer had seen.
Steve Martin, who was dating her sister at the time, had arranged to go out with Jennifer that night. He told police he dropped the 18-year-old off at the C Majors Bar in Mainstreet in Edwardsville that night. He then said he went to his girlfriend's house and did not know what had happened to Jennifer.
In their investigation, the police could find no evidence to support his claim that he had dropped her off at the bar. No one appeared to have seen her near the C Majors Bar. Shortly after Jennifer's disappearance, a friend of hers, Phylicia Thomas, told her mother that she knew what probably happened to her friend and who was responsible. She was determined to find Jennifer, and actively searched for her for a long time, going all over the place. Despite an intensive investigation, the police were unable to solve the missing person's case.
Disappearance of Phylicia Thomas
On February 11, 2004, 22-year-old Phylicia also disappeared from the face of the earth. She finished work around 11:30 p.m. and was given a ride home by a colleague in Lake Township. When she failed to pick up her paycheck the next day, her disappearance came to light. Police spoke to her friends and family and tried to create a timeline. What had happened after she was dropped off at home? That was the big question.
The colleague who gave her the lift was heard, and according to the detectives was not a suspect. Her boyfriend Edward stated that he was sleeping on the couch when Phylicia got home. He had briefly woken up, talked to her for a while, and then fell asleep again when, according to him, she went to fetch a beer from the garden. However, this statement was false, according to the neighbors. They had seen Edward drive off and return several times that night. At first they said there were four people in it, and the last time he came back there were only three.
Police also spoke to an old acquaintance, Steve Martin. He was the last person to see the missing Jennifer alive. In this missing person case he also got a leading role, when it turned out that he had spoken to Phylicia last. According to him, he had called her because he wanted to speak to his buddy Edward. According to him, he hung up when it turned out that 'Ed' was asleep. But did it go that way?
The girl's family suspected that Steve had something to do with the disappearance, and that Phylicia probably found out what had happened to her friend Jennifer. However, no evidence has yet been found for Steve Martin's involvement in both disappearances.
The family said years after the disappearance they had indications that Phylicia had attended a party in a trailer on the night of her disappearance and was dismembered in a shed on Timber Lane in Hunlock Township. The clues came from people who had also attended the party. Police have investigated the theory, but said they could not comment further. The 22-year-old is still missing and the police seem in the dark.
POI commits suicide
On August 12, 2005, news broke that a prisoner had hanged himself in his cell. It concerned Steve Martin, who was serving a sentence of 51 to 126 months for killing a woman during a police chase. According to the police, Martin was a person of interest in the two missing persons of Jennifer Barziloski and Phylicia Thomas. If he had anything to do with the cases, he took his secrets to his grave that day.
Human Skull Found
Things came to a head on April 2, 2010 after a 12-year-old boy found a human skull while fishing with his 15-year-old brother in a wooded area near Hunlock Creek. The spot was not far from where Phylicia had last been seen. According to state police, it was an area described as a cadaver dump. To make sure there are no more human remains, police returned to the scene with New York State Police cadaver dogs. They found nothing. Meanwhile, both families of the missing girls had been notified of the find, and asked for the dental records of the two.
In mid-April 2010, it came to light that the skull belonged to Jennifer. The remains were sent to the University of North Taxas, Center for Human Identification for further DNA analysis.
Tips and Information
Although there were rumors about a porn network, no evidence was ever found. Jennifer's death and Phylicia 's disappearance remain unsolved to date. The families continue to search for answers. They are sure that there are people who know something. Police continue to investigate the case.
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