Crime Junkie is investigating the disturbing murder of Geetha Angara, a chemist at a waterworks facility in Totowa, New Jersey, whose body was dumped into a giant water tank. Her murder has not been solved.
On February 8, 2005, Senior Chemist Dr. Geetha Angara was working at the Passaic Valley Water Commission facility which provides 83 million tons of drinking water to communities in north New Jersey. Angara left her lunch to take water samples for routine checks and never returned.
The police ordered a search of the plant, and customers were advised to boil their water before using it.
The authorities later found 43-year-old Angara’s remains and her clipboard at the bottom of a 35-deep water tank. The water was incredibly cold at just 36 degrees, and the water level was about 5 feet below the hatch. The tank was pitch black, and there were no ladders at the side.
Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano explained, “If you were conscious, you would know there was no way out of this.” He added, “It was just a horrible way to die.”
The investigators believe Angara was still alive when she went into the tank; the cause of death was ruled as drowning. The cops suspect she had been incapacitated, perhaps strangled, before she was pushed into the tank. Friends, family, and investigators hope she was unconscious and did not have to endure such a horrific death.
Police don’t know why anyone would kill Geetha Angara
The cops quickly ruled the death as a homicide, but the motive remains unclear. Another Passaic County prosecutor, John Latoracca, told reporters, “By all accounts, she was a terrific person, a very dedicated employee, a very intelligent woman, and a dedicated wife and mother.”
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe plant had 85 employees, but only 50 were working on the morning Angara was killed. All 50 willingly gave DNA samples, and all came back inconclusive; however, the tank contained chlorine, which degrades DNA.
According to the LA Times, the police narrowed their list of persons of interest to eight male colleagues. The police focused their investigation on males because the killer would have had to be strong enough to remove the grate at the tank’s opening and lift up Angara. Unfortunately, there have been no arrests.
Crime Junkie also investigates unsolved murder of Tom Bearson
Crime Junkie is also looking into the unsolved murder of Tom Bearson, a student at NDSU in Fargo, North Dakota. On September 20, 2014, Bearson left a house party in north Fargo and vanished. His remains were found in the nearby town of Moorhead, Minnesota.
Last year, Moorhead Police investigator Tory Jacobson insisted the case is still active despite nine years having passed.
Jacobson told reporters, “What we’re able to say at this time and to our community, is that this is still an active investigation. It hasn’t gone to a cold case status yet, which means we continue to write search warrants, conduct interviews, and we basically have all our investigators working this case.”
MURDERED: Thomas Bearson & Geetha Angara is available to download now on Crime Junkie.