In early December 2016, the community of Neptune City, New Jersey, was shaken by the disappearance of 19-year-old Sarah Stern, an aspiring artist. The initial sign that something was amiss came when an Uber driver spotted her 1994 Oldsmobile abandoned on the Route 35 bridge connecting Belmar and Avon-by-the-Sea. The keys were still in the ignition, a detail that led investigators to initially consider the possibility of suicide. This theory was seemingly supported by one of her childhood friends, Liam McAtasney, who told police that Sarah had been suicidal and was having issues with her father. However, those close to Sarah knew her to be a happy and creative young woman, and a search of her home revealed that personal items she would have taken if she had run away, such as her passport and currency, were left behind.
This discovery raised suspicions, and a widespread search of the Shark River and surrounding areas commenced, involving law enforcement and concerned volunteers, including, deceptively, the very people responsible for her disappearance.
The investigation took a dramatic turn two months later, shifting from a missing person case to a homicide. The focus landed squarely on Liam McAtasney and his roommate, Preston Taylor, who was also a childhood friend of Sarah's and had even been her junior prom date. The motive, as it was later revealed, was a cold-blooded plot to steal a large sum of inheritance money Sarah had received after her mother's death. McAtasney had been planning the robbery and murder for months, believing Sarah had up to $100,000. On December 2, 2016, he went to her home and strangled her. The crime was described in horrific detail by McAtasney himself in a secretly recorded conversation with another friend, Anthony Curry, who had gone to the police. In the chilling recording, McAtasney recounted how he choked Sarah, stuffed a shirt down her throat, and timed how long it took for her to die, all while her dog watched.
Following the murder, McAtasney enlisted the help of Preston Taylor to dispose of Sarah's body. Taylor confessed that he hid her body in some bushes at her home before they both returned hours later. They then placed her in her own car, drove to the Route 35 bridge, and threw her body into the Shark River below, leaving the vehicle behind to stage a suicide. In the end, the robbery yielded far less than McAtasney had anticipated. Preston Taylor eventually cooperated with prosecutors, pleading guilty to several charges including robbery and desecrating human remains, and agreed to testify against McAtasney. His testimony was crucial in the case against his former friend. In February 2019, a jury found Liam McAtasney guilty of murder, robbery, and several other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Preston Taylor received an 18-year prison sentence for his role in the crime. Despite extensive searches, Sarah Stern's body has never been recovered, leaving her loved ones without the closure of a proper burial. The case stands as a tragic story of a young woman's life cut short by the greed and betrayal of those she considered her friends.Last Seen: Dec 2, 2016
