After 15 years of disappearance, Julia Madsen's family does not lose hope

There are approximately 11,000 missing persons cases in New Jersey each year. Like all of them, this one hits the mark.

Anyone who listens to this show knows Big Guy Madsen. His Jersey Pizza Joints, Sandwich Joints, and Hot Dog Joints, among others, have over 300,000 fans and growing.

The Pizza Bowl he helped create grows bigger every year and he has done so much for New Jersey's small businesses. It also carries a personal tragedy that has yet to be resolved.

On June 25, 2009, Guy and his sister Eileen Tummino's mother Julia, who lived in South Seaside Park, kissed her husband Ed, who was watching the Yankees game, and went out for a walk, from which she never returned.

June 25 marked the 15th anniversary of his disappearance.

A press conference was held at Madsen's home attended by Guy, his wife Rita, his sister Eileen, Berkeley Township Police Detective Joseph Santoro, who worked the case from the beginning when Ed Madsen called the police to report Julia missing,

New Jersey State Police Capt. Justin Blackwell is the head of the state police's criminal investigations unit. He has also been involved in the investigation from the beginning. Also involved in the investigation from the beginning is Lt. Joseph Itri, who heads the New Jersey State Police's missing persons unit and its cold case unit, among others.

Then Guy, his wife Rita, and his sister Eileen Tummino joined me in the studio on New Jersey 101.5, and Detective Santoro and Lt. Itri stopped by.

“Our goal here is to keep a closed case alive,” says Guy Madsen. “Hopefully someone knows someone or someone who heard about what happened to my mother from someone in the past. We just hope and pray that with all this media attention today, we find out what happened to Julie. »

Madsen remembers learning of his mother's passing. “I was taking my 12-year-old son out for ice cream after dinner and we had just heard it. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson had passed away and I made a comment. You know, death comes in threes.”

“I get a call from a park in South Seaside. A Berkeley police officer asked me if my dad was okay, and he said, 'Well, your mom's missing.' And I'm thinking, my mom's missing. She's on the coast with my dad. And he said we'd like you to come down.

I ran down the Parkway and they crossed the Bay Bridge from Toms River to Seaside. I see all the lights on the bay knowing they are looking for her.

“So I pulled up to my street. There were four police cars. There was a helicopter in the distance. And it became kind of a movie of the week. My dad was there. He didn’t know what was going on. I hugged him, I met the police and they couldn’t have been nicer and we got there really quickly. And it was an all-night search for her, and then the family came in and slept for about an hour and then got up, and I found hound dogs in my house, and they were sniffing her pillow and trying to find her scent.”

Berkeley Township Police Detective Joseph Santoro worked the case from the beginning, when Ed Madsen called police to report Julia missing. “I remember getting the call and going there. I didn't have a good feeling. I don't know what it was. I was just worried because the ocean was right there. » She also suffered from the beginnings of dementia. I knew it was going to be serious. Santoro did not suspect any wrongdoing.

State Police Lt. Joseph Itri heads the missing persons unit and cold case unit. “John Walsh from America's Most Wanted always said, 'The hardest part is not knowing,' and after spending time in the Missing Persons Unit, I couldn't agree more. 'agreement. »

“Not knowing what happened is extremely difficult for a loved one to deal with, and our hearts go out to them,” Itri says. “We make these efforts to get to know these people, because there are always real people on the other end of the line, and they want to know that we are there for them. And we believe that.”

Itri also spoke about the progress made in the search for missing persons. “We’re taking a scientific approach now; our search and rescue teams are getting involved very early,” Itri said. “Joe Santoro did a remarkable job on this case. It’s just unfortunate that they weren’t able to get involved very early. But he mobilized our resources very quickly.”

“In many ways, that's the purpose of the missing persons unit; we are a conduit to all state police resources, such as air, marine and canine units. And our search team and rescue is exceptional.”

“So these are trained researchers. We use all the latest technology to map items as we conduct research in real time. So there has been quite a bit of research as such; in some cases we send horses and mounted soldiers. We now have a mounted unit. In some circumstances, especially in wooded areas, it can be very helpful to have someone sitting on top so you can look down and look for something or someone. So we have made a lot of progress. »

Julia's daughter, Eileen, would like this to be the end. “A journalist asked me today. Do you want to move on? Because if you know, will it make things easier? Or worse? I got a different answer from Rita. [Guy’s wife]“

“We have had so many terrible scenarios running through our minds all these years. What if you knew and it was this really, really bad scenario. Will this make a difference? I mean, will it make you feel better? Probably not. But are you still thinking about it now? »

Julie's last words to Eileen were, “I'll see you when I see you.”

Hopefully, by some miracle, it will happen soon.

Anyone with information about Julia Madsen's disappearance or whereabouts can call the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2000. 2554, or email [email protected], or contact the Berkeley Township Police Department tip line at 732-341-1132, ext. 2554. 611.

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