What to Know
- Authorities have identified one of New Jersey's oldest cold case victims.
- "Princess Doe" was discovered behind a cemetery off of a highway in New Jersey's Blairstown Township in 1982.
- Exactly 40 years since she was discovered, the victim was identified as Dawn Olanick, a 17-year-old from Long Island. Her suspected killer was also identified.
Authorities have identified one of New Jersey's oldest cold case victims, a female known for 40 years only as "Princess Doe" following the discovery of her body behind a cemetery off of a highway in New Jersey's Blairstown Township in 1982.
They also announced an arrest, 40 years to the day the female's body was found behind Cedar Ridge Cemetery on Highway 94. She was thought to be between 15 and 20 years old at the time. Now we know her name. And we know his, too.
A DNA profile helped authorities identify the remains as 17-year-old Dawn Olanick, Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan announced Friday. They identified her alleged killer as Arthur Kinlaw, 68, who faces a single count of first-degree murder in her death and up to life in prison if convicted.
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Dawn Olanick's body was found on July 15, 1982. Authorities had said they believed she had been dead for less than a week at the time she was found. They said she was beaten to death.
She had just finished her junior year of high school prior to her murder. The Long Island woman was born Aug. 5, 1964 and was from the West Babylon and Bohemia areas of Long Island, according to Pfeiffer.
"That's where she lived her life. Unfortunately, her life ended here in our town," Pfeiffer said, calling the revelation of Princess Doe's identity and that of her murderer a decades-long "journey for justice."
Prosecutors said they would not release any additional information on Dawn Olanick at this time.
"We generally don't have the opportunity in these cold cases to also then have the ability to charge the individual who is responsible, or who we believe is responsible, for this death," Pfeiffer said during Friday's press conference. "In this case, we do have that opportunity. And, I am extremely happy to announce that our office has filed charges against that individual who we feel is responsible for the death of Dawn."
Kinlaw faces a life sentence if convicted. The charge he faces is based on witness testimony, the initial investigation and previous admission, according to state police. Although Pfeiffer opted to not reveal specific information on what ties Kinlaw to the case, he did say that Kinlaw had written numerous letters to the prosecutor's office starting in 2005 confessing to the murder, something he also did in an interview.
Pfeiffer also revealed that Kinlaw might have initially made contact with Dawn Olenick in the West Babylon area of Long Island. It is believed none of them had any connection to Blairstown. According to Pfeiffer, there is evidence to suggest that Kinlaw was involved with a prostitution ring and he wanted Dawn Olanick to join. When she refused, he allegedly killed her.
"That is the connection, the evidence we have at this point in time," Pfeiffer said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
Pfeiffer said that although Kinlaw confessed almost two decades ago to the murder, his office was not in a position to move forward and present a strong case against Kinlaw given that there were many pieces of the murder mystery missing -- including the victim's identity.
Kinlaw is currently in a New York prison serving a 20-to-life sentence after being convicted in a 2000 murder of a young woman, according to prosecutors. Attorney information for Kinlaw was not immediately known.
"To everyone who worked on this case across decades: thank you," New Jersey's Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. "I also want to recognize [Dawn's] family who represent who we do this work for...I hope this provides a small measure of closure and comfort."
Callahan said that the case had stayed with him for decades, as he first became aware of the news of the unidentified body when he was barely a teenager.
"I know I am here as the colonel, but as a dad of two girls, as a man with two sisters, everybody involved in this, took this personally," Callahan said in the presser, recounting how he first became aware of the case when he was just 13-year-old.
"It was with somewhat of a broken heart that I heard this news knowing that this community had adopted Dawn," Callahan said, voice breaking.
Dawn's cousin was in attendance at Friday's press conference. Speaking on behalf of Dawn's family, he said they all "miss her dearly."
"A lot of wounds have been reopened. We always had hope that my cousin Dawn would come around again," he said. "[My cousin] is always in my heart."
He said the family now hopes to put a name and a picture on her gravestone "because now we are thankful for her identity, known to you, as well."
According to a poster on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Persons website, when her body was discovered, Dawn was wearing a red v-neck short-sleeved shirt, with an approximate inch tear to the lower part, and a long red wrap-around skirt that had peacocks pictured around the lower hem border. She also had on a gold chain necklace with white beads along the chain and an ornate cross pendant. See more from NCMEC here.
Authorities continue to investigate the case and ask anyone with additional information to contact the New Jersey State Police in order to piece together the last moments of Dawn Olanick's life.
"I want to point out the historical significance of this case, which was 40 years in the making," Pfeiffer said. "This case, Princess Doe's case, was the first unidentified person case ever entered into NCIC database that's maintained by the FBI. It's incredible to think that that was the very first case that was entered into that nationwide system that is so important to law enforcement in identifying victims who have lost their lives or who are missing."
"This case was very first case that was entered into the NCIC system and that was on June 30, 1983 -- and that case remains in the system until today. I am proud to say that as of today, that case, the very first case...will now be able to be removed."
