In the autumn of 1975, the quiet community of Demarest, New Jersey, was irrevocably changed by the tragic death of 22-year-old Susan Reeve, a recent college graduate with a promising future. On October 14, while walking to her parents' home, the young white female vanished. This event triggered an extensive search that cast a shadow of fear over the suburban town. The hope of her safe return was tragically extinguished two weeks later when her nude body was discovered in Tallman State Park in New York. An autopsy would later confirm that she had been raped and strangled.
The investigation into Susan Reeve's abduction and murder soon intersected with a similar case involving another young woman, Susan Heynes, who had disappeared from the nearby town of Haworth just days earlier. The discovery of both women's bodies in close proximity and the similar manner of their deaths led investigators to believe a single perpetrator was responsible.
This realization heightened the sense of urgency and dread within Bergen County.
The man identified and ultimately held responsible for these brutal crimes was Robert Reldan, a building contractor from Tenafly. Reldan was arrested and charged with the murders of both Susan Reeve and Susan Heynes. Investigators were able to link him to the crimes through various pieces of evidence, including witness testimony that placed him with Reeve near his station wagon on the day she disappeared, and forensic evidence found in his vehicle and at his aunt's home. In 1979, Reldan was convicted of both murders and sentenced to life in prison. Even while incarcerated, his name would surface again in connection with a plot to murder his wealthy aunt to expedite his inheritance. Years later, in a unique civil case, Susan Reeve's family successfully sued Reldan after he inherited millions, with the court awarding them a multi-million dollar settlement which they chose to donate to their daughter's alma mater. Robert Reldan has been repeatedly denied parole and remains in prison for the murders.
