Police Probe Possible Sighting of Missing Whiting Woman as Dogs Search Woods

Authorities are investigating a possible sighting of a missing Whiting woman, the same day that cadaver dogs search the wooded areas near her Crestwood Village I home. 

Neighbors told police Wednesday morning that they believe 74-year-old Joan Conetta was walking along Route 530 last Friday, according to  Police Department Capt. Lisa Parker. Detectives are in the process of confirming that sighting, which came five days after she was reported missing.

At about the same time that tip was received, two cadaver dogs — one from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and another from the New Jersey State Police — began a search of areas near Conetta's home for remains. Authorities brought in the dogs as a procedural matter — they do not have any indication that Conetta may have died in the woods.

"We're utilizing all our investigative tools for the process of elimination," Parker said. 

FBI statistics state that missing persons are often found within a quarter-mile of their home, according to Pat McIntyer, an officer at the Ocean County Sheriff's Department.

Searching for the grey-haired, hazel-eyed Conetta, who is approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 100 pounds, is like looking for "a needle in a haystack," McIntyer said.

Wooded areas in Whiting near Crestwood Village are plentiful and, provided the dogs turn up nothing during the first day of searching, additional sweeps are likely, according to police. 

"We're starting at the house and searching any parcel, no matter how wide," McIntyer said. "Anything other than the front lawn, [officers] are going to walk that dog across."

Leading up to the K-9 search,  Police Department Detective Chris Hemhauser and Detective Brian Haggerty of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office have been chasing down other leads to find the woman, last believed to be wearing a grey jogging suit.

They've worked with the state's gaming commission and found no evidence that Conetta jumped a bus to Atlantic City. The Ocean Ride and Somebody Cares bus services have not been used to transport Conetta, and there also is no reason to believe she's left the country, according to Hemhauser. 

About three weeks ago — before she went missing — Joseph Conetta travelled to Monmouth County to retrieve his sister after police there found her wandering. After that, Joseph Conetta made the decision to withhold the car from his sister, who Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said may be suffering from disorientation.

About a week later, Conetta, an animal lover who has lived alone since her mother died in 1999, was reported missing. Conetta had never left for an extended period of time without telling anyone before, her brother said.

"That was a total surprise," said Joseph Conetta, who lives in Crestwood Village VI and met police at his sister's home Wednesday to aid with their investigation. 

"Keeping involved is helping me cope," he said. "I'm holding in there. I'm running back and forth, but I'm glad of it."

Neighbor Carolyn Shaffers said that those living nearby are "overwhelmed" by Conetta's disappearance. 

"They're so sad. They're concerned," she said. "They just don't know what to think about it."

While Conetta, a woman with "a very soft voice" was sometimes "reclusive" and seemed "lonesome," Shaffers said, neighbors nonetheless made attempts to connect with her. 

"She thanked me for a Christmas card," Shaffers said. "It let her know that somebody loved her."

Anyone who may have information on Conetta's disappearance is asked to contact Hemhauser at 732-657-2009, ext. 4207, or Haggerty at 732-929-2027.