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Someone killed Rosetta Jean-Baptiste by “mechanical asphyxiation” -- similar to what happened to George Floyd.
Only this was 28 years ago.
Her parents didn’t know it, but Jean-Baptiste was also pregnant with a boy who was close to full term. He died, as well.
The killer was never found.
Members of a special cold case unit made up of investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police are still hoping that they can solve the 1993 murder mystery.
Jean-Baptiste, an 11th-grader at Ramapo High School, had come to the United States from strife-torn Haiti three years earlier, seeking a better life, with her parents and two sisters. They settled on Ewing Avenue in Spring Valley.
Rosetta was described as “timid, quiet and was not known to be in a dated relationship,” New Jersey State Police Detective Sgt. Fred Kuhrt said.
Fans of “The Sopranos,” or those from the area, might recall the Maple Shade Motel, which was once on southbound Route 17 in Ramsey and currently is the location of the Ramsey Inn & Suites.
The man suspected of killing Jean-Baptist checked into Room #2 at the Maple Shade with her around 7 p.m. Dec. 9, 1993, authorities said at the time. Her father reported her missing that same night.
A motel employee found Jean-Baptiste’s half-naked body in the shower around 11 a.m. the next day. She’d been killed between four and seven hours earlier, a medical examiner determined.
The cause was listed as "mechanical asphyxia," which is what happens when you’re kept from breathing by an object or by force – such as suffocation or strangulation.
The mystery man who was with Jean-Baptiste was described by a motel clerk and patron described as a stocky, light-skinned Black, 30 to 40 years old, and 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9 inches tall, roughly 200 to 220 pounds.
ANYONE with information about the killing is asked to contact the cold case unit at (201) 646-2300 (Mon-Fri) or (201) 642-5962 (after hours). You could also email: coldcaseunit@bcpo.net.
Or submit a confidential tip: Rosetta Jean-Baptiste — Bergen County Prosecutor's Office (bcpo.net)
In either instance, mention that you saw the original story on Daily Voice.
MORE INFO: BCPO.net/COLDCASE
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