Absent Unknown Friend: The Rahway Murder

Absent Unknown Friend
  • 5.0 (4)
  • True Crime
  • Semiweekly

On a cold March night in 1887, a woman is tragically murdered in a small, prosperous New Jersey town. Over 135 years later her identity, and that of her killer, remain unknown. Join us as we delve deep into the mystery and try to give a woman back her name. Her death should not define her.

Episodes

  1. 07/30/2025

    Fashion and Crime: An Interview with Tracy Harrison Butler & Dr. Alison Matthews David

    In this special episode, I sit down with fashion historians Tracy Harrison Butler and Dr. Alison Matthews David to discuss the intersection of fashion and crime, and uncover what fashion can tell us about the Unknown Woman. This is our first ever interview on the podcast, and my microphone left a little to be desired, but thankfully our guests came in loud and clear. Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  2. 04/14/2025

    Suspects

    We've asked who the victim was, but today we are going to take a brief detour to discuss possible identities of her killer. Even after all the years, are there any leads as to who could have committed such a brutal crime and robbed a woman of her identity for the last 138 years? Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  3. 09/18/2024

    The Missing Link - Mary Link Pt. 2

    Welcome back friends. The conclusion to the story of Mary Link, and all of the circumstantial evidence tying her to the Unknown Woman of Rahway. For more information, check out our website at absentunknownpod.wordpress.com. Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  4. 01/08/2024

    The Missing Link - Mary Link Pt. 1

    The podcast continues! After reviewing some of the most prominent potential identities put forward for the Unknown Woman of Rahway in our last episode, we're back with a deep dive into Mary Link. The more I've researched this woman the more intrigued I am, and to do her justice I've split this story into two episodes. Episode one will focus on the general story of Mary's life, such that we know. Episode two will go into detail about all of the circumstantial links between her and the Unknown Woman. For more information, check out our website at absentunknownpod.wordpress.com. Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  5. 04/09/2023

    Scores of Missing Women

    In this episode, we look into the identities of some of the women who were put forward as possibly being the Unknown Woman. Who were they, why were they linked to the Unknown Woman, and what became of them? The newspaper article mentioned in the beginning of this episode can be found here: https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/?a=d&d=rocklandctyjournal18870423.2.7 For more information, check out our website at absentunknownpod.wordpress.com! Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  6. 12/24/2022

    From Discovery to Burial

    Join us as we close out our review of the initial events of the murder of the Unknown Woman of Rahway. This episode will cover what transpired between the discovery of her body and her eventual burial over a month later. We continue to reference the map of Rahway from the time of the murder, which can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/fiHHllN Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  7. 10/12/2022

    March 26th, 1887

    In this episode, we deep dive into the facts of the crime from the day the Unknown Woman's body was discovered, March 26th, 1887. We continue to reference the map of Rahway from the time of the murder, which can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/fiHHllN Theme music by Anno Domini Beats

  8. 10/12/2022

    A Forgotten Crime, A Forgotten Woman

    135 years ago, in a rural section of a small New Jersey town, a young woman met a grisly end at the hands of an unknown assailant. Her murder, and the investigation that followed, captivated the nation and was front page news until being overshadowed by the emergence of Jack the Ripper a year later. Now she lies forgotten by all but those in the town where she met her end. Join hosts Patrick and Kerianne as they lay out the facts of the case, investigate all of its twists and turns, and attempt to give a woman buried amongst strangers her name back. In this episode, we will introduce you to the town of Rahway, NJ and the crime we will spend the rest of the podcast discussing. A useful map of Rahway from near the time of the murder, which we reference often: https://imgur.com/a/fiHHllN An artist's depiction of the Unknown Woman printed in newspapers after the murder: https://imgur.com/gallery/TAtyACc Theme music by Anno Domini Beats, additional music by purple-planet.com.

  • 8 Episodes

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

On a cold March night in 1887, a woman is tragically murdered in a small, prosperous New Jersey town. Over 135 years later her identity, and that of her killer, remain unknown. Join us as we delve deep into the mystery and try to give a woman back her name. Her death should not define her.

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