Death of Mary Jane Barker

The body of Mary Jane Barker (February 28, 1953 – March 3, 1957) a 4-year old from Bellmawr, New Jersey, just across the river from Philadelphia, was recovered from the 3' x 5' bedroom closet of a nearby vacant ranch house 2 blocks away from her home. The death was ruled an accident due to starvation and exposure from Barker being unable to escape the closet, but the circumstances of the death have left some suspecting murder or even something paranormal. The dog of another neighborhood girl had also gone missing, bounding out of the closet alive upon the discovery of the body. It was the press surrounding the Barker case which led to the first calls about the Boy in the Box. Early years: Mary Jane Barker was born in Bellmawr, New Jersey on February 28, 1953 to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Barker. She had two older siblings, Carol Ann, 8 years older, and Frank Jr., 6 years older. Disappearance: Barker disappeared along with the black spaniel, four-month old puppy at 10:30 A. M. on February 25, 1957. She was last seen playing in a nearby yard. She was presumed kidnapped, and footprints along a nearby stream bank seemed those of a man, child, and dog. It was called the largest search in South Jersey. Her fourth birthday came and went with no sign of her. Discovery of body: On March 3, 1957 Barker's neighbor, a 6-year old Maria Freitta, the owner of the dog, went with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Pat Vecchia, to the vacant, newly-built ranch house on 433 2nd Ave owned by the Vecchias. When Freitta pushed open the bedroom closet door in the house in a moment of play, her dog bounded and leaped happily into her while Barker was dead in a seated position, the hood of her blue coat partially covering her blonde hair. The house had been searched three times before, "It was so close to the last place she was seen alive that it naturally was examined first of all," said Police Chief Edward Garrity, who felt she had recently been placed in the closet as the puppy had been fed recently and there was no animal waste in the closet and during previous searches nobody heard a dog or looked in the bedroom closet. Although the door was unlocked, a thumb screw inside was said to make it difficult for a child to open. Perhaps she was too frightened to cry out. Autopsy: The autopsy indicated Barker had nothing in her system since some chocolate milk the morning of her disappearance, and had not eaten since she vanished. A cursory examination gave no indication of foul play. It was found she must have lived in the closet for three days. An inspection of the closet showed marks from her attempt to escape. The dog was euthanized in order to examine its stomach contents and establish why the dog outlived Barker and if it had been without food or drink for as long. It was found the dog was with her the whole time.Her death was ruled a case of starvation with exposure as a contributing factor. Due to a hole in the closet, she could not have suffocated. Aftermath: Mayor Cornelius Devennel ordered all closet doors to open easily from both inside and outside. Radio Station WPEN presented Fraietta with a new puppy, an English Setter.