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Margaret Ellen Fox was 14 and looking for babysitting work when she left Burlington, New Jersey, for a job interview. Her younger brother watched her board a bus on the morning of June 24, 1974. She has never been heard from again.

The FBI published the following notice about Margaret's disappearance:

Margaret Ellen Fox was last seen on June 24, 1974, after travelling by bus to meet with a man who called himself "John Marshall" and had advertised for a babysitting job. Margaret was planning to go by bus to Mill and Main Streets in Mount Holly, New Jersey, to have an interview with this man about babysitting his young son. The man's phone number was later traced to a pay phone in a local supermarket. Margaret was seen getting on the bus in Burlington, New Jersey, at approximately 8:40 a.m. en route to Mt. Holly, but she has never been heard from again.

Who She Was

Margaret was born on February 4, 1960. She lived in Burlington and was 14 when she disappeared. She was 5'2" and about 105 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017, Margaret and a cousin placed a classified ad in a local newspaper seeking babysitting work. A man using the alias "John Marshall" responded. "John Marshall" is the person of interest in the case, but the name was an alias and the man has never been identified.

The Timeline

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the man calling himself "John Marshall" said he had a 5-year-old son and would pay Margaret $40 to babysit the child four hours a day, five days a week.

According to Wikipedia, "Marshall" said he needed a sitter the following weekend, but postponed the first several meetings with Margaret before settling on June 24, 1974.

On the morning of June 24, Margaret left a note telling her parents where she was going. Her younger brother accompanied her to the bus stop and saw her board.

At about 8:40 a.m., Margaret boarded a bus in Burlington headed for Mount Holly. The FBI says she planned to meet the person of interest at Mill and Main Streets for an interview about the babysitting job.

Margaret was never heard from again.

The Evidence

The unidentified person of interest told Margaret he would meet her in a red Volkswagen. NBC10 Philadelphia described it as a red Volkswagen Beetle. The telephone number he provided was later traced to a pay phone in a local supermarket.

Margaret was last seen wearing jeans with a yellow patch on the knee, a blue blouse, a white and black checkered jacket, and brown sandals with a heel strap. She wore a gold necklace with flowers and a blue stone, as well as a gold charm bracelet with a blue stone.

She wore eyeglasses and carried an eyeglass case with a Huckleberry Hound design. Two of her top front right teeth were missing.

After Margaret was reported missing, authorities began recording calls to the Fox home. Shortly after her disappearance, the FBI recorded a call from a man who claimed to have Margaret and demanded $10,000.

In the enhanced six-second clip released by the FBI, a deep male voice says, "$10,000 might be a lot of bread, but your daughter's life is the buttered topping."

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017, a note also arrived at the Fox home saying Margaret was alright and, "We only tore her blouse and broke her glasses." The newspaper tied the note to the Symbionese Liberation Army, which had carried out an abduction four months earlier.

The Investigation

Investigators examined the supermarket connected to the pay-phone number. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017, the supermarket manager shared the Marshall surname, but had an alibi and passed a polygraph. He was cleared.

Four years later, a man who had owned a red Volkswagen in 1974 came to the attention of police and the FBI. His ham-radio logbook showed he was on the radio at the time Margaret got off the bus. He also had an alibi and was cleared.

In 1976, a person confessed to involvement in Margaret's disappearance. Investigators found that the confession was false and a hoax.

Retired Burlington City detective Leonard Burr, who worked on the original case, later told NBC10 that the FBI "didn't cooperate with nobody" at the time. NBC10 also reported that Margaret's dental record went missing and that police have no DNA and little physical evidence.

In 2017, retired Willingboro police officer Michael D'Alesio began an unpaid review of the case with Burlington City Police. He consulted retired Burlington City detectives Jack McBride and Leonard Burr.

On Monday, June 24, 2019, the 45th anniversary of Margaret's disappearance, the FBI and Burlington City Police released the enhanced ransom-call audio and an age-progressed image provided by NCMEC. Authorities said technological advances had only then enabled them to release the call.

Burlington City Police Chief John Fine said the disappearance has "haunted this community for decades." The release was accompanied by a reward of up to $25,000.

The FBI poster shows age progressions of Margaret at 49 and 56. A rendering at 57 was reported in 2017.

Theories

No one has been arrested or charged, and the possible explanations remain theories rather than investigative findings.

Authorities have said they are unsure whether the ransom caller was the person of interest Margaret intended to meet or someone exploiting news of her disappearance. The ransom caller and the unidentified man using the alias "John Marshall" have not been established as the same person.

Michael D'Alesio told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2017 that he had received two tips hinting that Margaret might be living out of state. Any suggestion that she chose a new life was D'Alesio's speculation, not an investigative finding.

Where It Stands

Margaret remains missing, and no remains have been found. The unidentified person of interest who used the alias "John Marshall" has never been identified. No one has been arrested or charged in connection with her disappearance.

The FBI lists Margaret's disappearance as a kidnapping case under its Newark Field Office. It offers a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.

The FBI poster, photographs, age-progressed images and enhanced ransom-call audio are attached below.

Name: Margaret Ellen Fox
Age: 14 when she disappeared
Last seen: June 24, 1974, at about 8:40 a.m.
Location: Burlington, New Jersey, en route to Mount Holly, New Jersey
Agency: FBI Newark Field Office and Burlington City Police
Reward: Up to $25,000
Case status: Missing, FBI kidnapping case, no arrests or charges

Tips may be submitted to FBI Newark at 973-792-3000 or Burlington City Police at 609-386-0262 ext. 211.