Christine Maps

Christine Maps was a 22-year-old wife and a new mother living in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. She was married to Edward Howard Maps, a 39-year-old artist described as an eccentric "beatnik" who had served in the Marine Corps during World War II. The couple had a four-month-old daughter, Julie Louise, and had recently moved into a home at 510 Sarah Street in November 1961. By all accounts, Christine's husband adored their baby girl. Before her marriage, Christine Wolbach was a recent college graduate who met Edward while he was teaching art at the Henry Street Settlement in New York. They had a two-month courtship before marrying in 1960. Despite her father's disapproval of her unconventional husband, the young family appeared happy to neighbors.

The night of Sunday, January 21, 1962, began peacefully. The Maps family visited with neighbors, sharing an apple pie before returning home around 9 p.m. to put baby Julie to bed. Less than two hours later, at about 10:48 p.m., a neighbor reported flames at the Maps' residence. Firefighters arrived to a house with every window glowing with fire and had to force their way inside. They found Christine unconscious on the kitchen floor, bleeding from severe head wounds and clutching one of her baby's diapers. Fifteen feet away, on a wicker sofa, they found the naked body of Julie Louise, buried under a pile of blankets. Both were rushed to Monroe County General Hospital. Julie was pronounced dead on arrival from smoke inhalation. Christine, a female victim of a brutal attack, succumbed to her injuries hours later at 2:40 a.m. on January 22. An autopsy revealed she had died from multiple skull fractures and a cerebral hemorrhage, caused by blows to the head from a blunt object delivered with "tremendous force."

Investigators quickly determined the fire was no accident. Arson was declared the cause, with evidence showing that between eight and 10 separate fires had been intentionally set throughout the house using papers and rags to cover up the murder. The gas stove in the kitchen had been turned on and set to 450 degrees with the oven door left open, seemingly to ensure the home's destruction. Suspicion immediately fell upon Christine's husband, Edward Maps, who was nowhere to be found. His wallet, identification, passport, and both of his cars were left at the home. Within hours of the fire, a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of homicide and arson.

The search for Edward Maps became one of the most intense manhunts in the region's history. The FBI joined the investigation, and Maps was placed on the agency's Ten Most Wanted list, where he remained until 1967. Despite hundreds of reported sightings across the country and even overseas, he was never apprehended. A couple of days after the murders, a friend reported receiving a bizarre phone call from Maps, in which he allegedly said, "I can't do that. I have too many things to do," when urged to surrender. He also reportedly asked the friend to give his love to "Julia." Over the years, theories circulated. Some friends believed Maps was innocent and had also been a victim, possibly murdered by Christine’s father, Robert Wolbach, who disliked him intensely. Others pointed to Maps' diagnosis of schizophrenia following his military service as a potential factor.

The investigation was led by Monroe County District Attorney James Marsh, who took an unusually active role, personally searching for Maps on the night of the fire and swearing out the arrest warrant in the early morning hours. Despite the massive search and media attention, the trail went cold. In 1967, at the request of the district attorney, Edward Maps was removed from the FBI's Most Wanted list. He was officially declared legally dead in 1971. The house on Sarah Street, which had become a grim local landmark known as the "Mystery House," was demolished in 1972.

Decades have passed, but the brutal double murder of Christine and Julie Louise Maps remains a dark chapter in Stroudsburg's history. As of April 2023, the case is still officially unsolved. Edward Maps was never located to face the charges against him, and the questions surrounding that winter night in 1962 have never been answered. The Pennsylvania State Police continue to list the case as open. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Troop N Criminal Investigations Assessment Unit at 570-459-3890.