Julia Madsen was 72 when she disappeared from her family’s beach house in the South Seaside Park section of Berkeley Township, New Jersey, one warm evening in June 2009. She and her husband Ed had been at their summer home after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and Julia’s birthday. Around 7:00 p.m. she told him she was going for a short walk on the beach and left without keys, money, or identification, expecting to return shortly; when she had not come back by 8:20 p.m. he began searching and could not find her.

Julia, known as Julie, was last seen wearing a bright pink sleeveless shirt, white capri pants and either white sneakers or brown leather shoes, and wearing a diamond engagement ring, wedding band, a silver watch on her right wrist and a gold and silver bracelet on her left. An exhaustive search involving volunteers, law enforcement, ATVs, horses, tracking dogs, helicopters and boats covered the beach and Island Beach State Park but turned up nothing.

Several years later a skull found in the area was ruled out by DNA, as were other remains. Julia was later declared legally deceased, but no explanation for her disappearance has been found. If anyone knew Julia, saw her that evening, or has information about the South Seaside Park area in June 2009, please come forward.