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Stern, Sarah 12/2/2016; NEPTUNE, New Jersey 2 arrests
Topic Started: Dec 8 2016, 05:07 AM (150 Views)
Begood
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SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR NEPTUNE, NEW JERSEY WOMAN MISSING AFTER CAR FOUND ON BRIDGE
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Search underway for missing NJ teen
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Toni Yates reports on the search for a missing 19-year-old in New Jersey.
Eyewitness News
Wednesday, December 07, 2016 04:53PM

NEPTUNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A search is underway in New Jersey for a 19-year-old woman whose car was found last week on a bridge in Monmouth County.

Monmouth County Crime Stoppers has released a flyer to help locate Sarah Stern of Neptune.

Authorities say Stern left her home on the night of Dec. 2nd. Hours later, her unoccupied vehicle was found on the Route 35 Bridge in Belmar over the Shark River Inlet. She has not been seen since.

A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the capture of any suspect in the case.

Sarah lives with her father and grandmother in Neptune. Her father, Michael Stern, said he has been with investigators trying to come up with anything that could lead to his daughter.

Anyone with information is asked to call Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-671-4400.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office is working with the Belmar Police Department, and New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit to investigate the case.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also providing assistance.
http://abc7ny.com/news/search-underway-for...bridge/1644192/
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tatertot
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https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/cas...port_html/36354
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http://njbuzzwatch.com/index.php/2016/12/0...en-sarah-stern/

$5,000 reward offered for information about missing teen Sarah Stern
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tatertot
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http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2016/...eek_search.html

'We're at a loss,' says father of missing Neptune City teen after 4-week search
Jessica Remo
on December 31, 2016 at 1:58 PM, updated December 31, 2016 at 3:34 PM

NEPTUNE -- It's been four weeks since the disappearance of a Neptune City teen after her car was found unoccupied on a Belmar bridge on Dec. 2.

Sarah Stern, 19, left her family's home in Neptune City at 11:45 p.m. driving her grandmother's 1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royal, according to her father Michael Stern. The car was found parked on the Route 35 Bridge around 2:45 a.m. on Dec. 3, but Sarah remains missing even after an extensive search.

Michael Stern is distraught and said the holidays were especially difficult for his family because Sarah loved Christmas.

"I feel lousy and heartbroken," he told NJ Advance Media on Friday. "They haven't come up with too many new leads. There are so many unanswered questions. We're at a loss, really."

Michael Stern previously had said his daughter seemed fine in the days leading up to her disappearance and that everyone who knows her feels that it's not like Sarah to run away.

"It's a gut-wrenching experience that no parent should have to go through," Michael Stern said. "I love my daughter, and I just wish she would come home."

Sarah Stern's father, Michael, is hoping a search party on Saturday will turn up a clue that will help investigators learn what happened to his daughter.

Authorities said Stern's car was found unoccupied, working properly, with the keys inside. An extensive search of the Shark River was conducted by local and county search teams.

Sarah Stern attended Neptune High School where she played softball and was also a member of the swim team. Michael Stern said his daughter started on the varsity softball team as a freshman. But she was also very interested in art and photography and has a keen interest in digital media, specifically YouTube videos. She studied art and TV production at Brookdale Community College for two semesters.

Sarah Stern's friendships expanded beyond the close-knit Jersey Shore community she grew up in, however. She traveled to places like Australia, Canada and London for digital media conventions, like VidCon. She stayed in touch with the people she met at these conventions, her father said, by video chatting with them.

The Monmouth County Crime Stoppers organization has offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who has information that leads to the "identification, arrest and prosecution of any suspect(s) in the disappearance" of Stern.
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http://abc7ny.com/news/2-charged-in-murder...-found/1733743/

2 CHARGED IN MURDER OF MISSING NEPTUNE TEEN; BODY NEVER FOUND
Eyewitness News
Updated 1 hr 30 mins ago

NEPTUNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a teenager who went missing in New Jersey in December.

The body of 19-year-old Sarah Stern still has not been found, but the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that 19-year-old Liam McAtasney and 19-year-old Preston Taylor are now charged in her death.

Authorities say McAtasney killed Stern during a robbery, and that Taylor provided assistance in moving and ultimately disposing of the body.

Stern was last seen leaving her home in Neptune City on December 2, and her car was later found abandoned on a bridge in Belmar. According to the criminal complaint, McAtasney is accused of strangling her and throwing her body off the bridge.

She reportedly lived with her grandmother and father, Michael Stern, who said at the time that he was working with investigators to come up with anything that could lead to his daughter.

McAtasney is charged with first-degree murder, robbery, desecration of human remains, conspiracy and hindering apprehension. Taylor is charged with desecration of human remains, conspiracy and hindering apprehension.

The Belmar Police Department, New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were all involved in the investigation.

Anyone with further information that may assist authorities is asked to contact Detective Brian Weisbrot from the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office at (800) 533-7443, Detective Michael Vollbrecht of the Neptune City Police Department at (732) 775-1615, or Detective John Mahoney from the Belmar Police Department at (732) 681-1700.

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http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2017/...stern_case.html

7 unanswered questions in the Sarah Stern case
Updated February 08, 2017
Posted February 07, 2017
By Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Two months after Sarah Stern's car was found abandoned on Dec. 3, with the keys inside on the Route 35 bridge in Belmar, two of her childhood friends were charged with dumping her body in the Shark River after she was strangled at her home.

Liam McAtasney, 19, of Neptune City, is accused of going to Stern's house on Dec. 2 with the intention of robbing her - a crime he had been planning for six months, prosecutors have said. At some point, McAtasney strangled Stern and then enlisted the help of his longtime friend and roommate Preston Taylor, also 19, of Neptune City, to dispose of her body, prosecutors said.

Both teens, who were high school classmates of Sterns, remain jailed on multiple charges and two safes have since been recovered at Sandy Hook and Shark River Park with the proceeds of the robbery, prosecutors said.

Despite multiple searches when she disappeared in December and since the charges were filed last week, Stern's body has not been recovered.

A court hearing on Tuesday to determine if Taylor should remained jailed pending trial revealed stunning new details in the case, but many questions remain. McAtasney's detention hearing is scheduled for next week.

Here are 7 major questions that remain unanswered:

1. Why was Sarah Stern allegedly targeted by 2 longtime friends?

Sarah Stern went to grade school with McAtasney and Taylor, according to her father Michael Stern. Taylor even took Stern to the junior prom, her dad said.

Prosecutors revealed for the first time on Tuesday that they believe McAtasney had been planning to rob Stern for at least six months before she was strangled on Dec. 2. Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Doyle said Tuesday that Taylor was also involved later in the plot because McAtasney called Taylor on the night of the killing to inform him he was about to execute the plan.

2. Was dumping Stern's body from the bridge always part of the alleged plan?

While prosecutors have said McAtasney plotted the robbery for months and that Taylor became involved later and knew that plan included killing her, it has not been revealed whether the alleged scheme also included dumping the body in the Shark River and leaving her car on the Route 35 bridge to throw off investigators.

More than eight hours passed between when Stern was strangled by McAtasney and her body was tossed from the bridge, prosecutors said Tuesday. Taylor went to the house twice during that span to hide the body in bushes, and look for McAtasney's cell phone, which he left behind, prosecutors said. They then returned, put Stern's body in the front seat of her car and McAtasney drove it to the Route 35 bridge about a mile away, prosecutors said.

Taylor trailed in his car and helped toss Stern's body into the Shark River, prosecutors said. They left the car on the bridge, where it was found on Dec. 3 with the keys inside, prompting a massive search, authorities have said.

3. How did McAtasney allegedly get the stolen cash?

Prosecutors have said the amount stolen in the robbery was in the thousands, but have declined to be more specific.

It also remains unclear if all of the money was at Stern's house or was withdrawn from a bank as part of the robbery. During the detention hearing for Taylor on Tuesday, prosecutors said for the first time that McAtasney called Taylor on the day of the killing and said "I'm at the bank. I'm going to do it now. I'm going to take her out." No other details about the bank aspect were provided.

Authorities have not said where the money came from and Stern's father, Michael Stern, has not spoken publicly about how his daughter came into the money.

4. When did McAtasney and Taylor become suspects?

After strangling Stern at her home, McAtasney left his cell phone at the scene, authorities said. McAtasney then enlisted Taylor to go to the home, remove the body from the house and grab the phone, authorities said. Taylor never found the phone, authorities said.

Authorities have not said who found the phone. Authorities have also not said when they began suspecting McAtasney and Taylor might have played a role in Stern's disappearance. Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David Bauman, citing evidence presented by prosecutors, said that McAtasney and Taylor participated in a search for Stern on Dec. 10 to deflect suspicion away from them.

5. Who helped investigators record McAtasney and Taylor?

Prosecutors revealed Tuesday that there's a witness who recorded conversations with McAtasney and Taylor. Prosecutors argued for Taylor to remain behind bars because, if released from jail, he could put the witness at risk.

The witness, who prosecutors said is friends with the two men, came to police with suspicions about McAtasney and Taylor. But Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni, speaking at a press conference after Tuesday's hearing, declined to comment further on the witness' involvement in the case. At one point, Taylor's attorney, John Perrone, said he wasn't sure if his client would recognize the witness on the street.

6. Is there any video surveillance?

Cops found Stern's abandoned vehicle on the Route 35 bridge on Dec. 3, 2016 after someone called the police and reported seeing the car parked on the shoulder. Authorities said McAtasney drove Stern's car with her body inside to the bridge, and Taylor met him in his own vehicle. The two then allegedly dumped the body into the river early in the morning.

The Route 35 bridge, which connects Belmar and Neptune Township, is a busy stretch of road despite the early morning hours. Authorities have also not said if the two were ever caught on surveillance camera in the area of Stern's home or on the bridge.

Also, if McAtasney went to a bank at some point on Dec. 2, as indicated by prosecutors Tuesday, it has not been revealed if investigators have video surveillance from the bank. The bank branch has not been named.

7. Will Stern's body be recovered?

Gramiccioni said at a press conference after Tuesday's court hearing that his office is hoping to "deliver a miracle" to the Stern family and find Sarah's body. However, Gramiccioni has conceded it will be challenging given the swift tides out to the ocean in the Shark River Inlet. The New Jersey State Police Marine Unit resumed a search for Stern's body in the inlet after authorities on Thursday announced the arrests of McAtasney and Taylor.

Next steps in the case

Prosecutors on Tuesday successfully argued why Taylor should remain jailed until his trial. Now, prosecutors will have to do the same with McAtasney. He is scheduled for a detention hearing on Feb. 14.
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