Megan Kanka

On the evening of July 29th, 1994 seven-year-old Megan Kanka disappeared from her neighborhood in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.   Her mother Maureen Kanka called the police and went door-to-door along with neighbors trying to find her daughter. Police officers tried to get statements form the neighbors, Timmendequas indicated that he had seen Megan riding her bike earlier in the evening. After police found out that Joseph Cifelli, Tmmendequas roommate was a prior sex offender, police obtained his consent to search the house. They then question all three members of the house, which included Jesse Timmendequas, Joseph Cifelli and Brian Jenin.  Both Joseph Cifelli and Brian Jenin gave consistent alibi claiming that they were shopping at the time of Megan’s disappearance. Timmendequas on the other hand was shaking and perspiring heavily throughout his interview, based on his nervousness and assertion that he was alone at the time of Megan’s disappearance the office asked him to come to the office for further questioning.

        When entering the office at 2:50 am he was read his Miranda rights and asked to sign a waiver form. After an hour of interviewing Jesse he still denied having anything  to  do  with  the  disappearance  of Megan, he was released at 4 o clock in  the  morning.  

        The following morning detectives went to Cifelli’s house to search the premises again. While in the middle of searching the premises Timmendequas brought his puppy out for a walk and also took the trash out. The officers obtained Cifelli’s right to search the garbage bag.  In the bag they found the waist band of a small pair of  pants appearing to be one of a small childes. Police then took the waistband to show Maureen Kanka if they were Megan’s, she confirmed that they were in fact hers.

        Timmendequas was taken back to headquarters and read his Miranda rights once again. When police showed him the piece of clothing they found in the garbage bag he brought outside earlier that they he stated that they were rages from his job and continued to deny any involvement in Megan’s disappearance. After hours of speaking to the police and getting nowhere because he kept denying any involvement he finally agreed to speak to his roommate Brian Jenin.  Once Jenin entered the room he kept saying, “they got you, they got you, they got you. You’re going to need a friend on the outside, ill be that friend.” Right after he told Timmendequas this he broke down and put his head on the table and said, “She’s at Mercer County Park.” He agreed to show police where she was buried. Timmendequas then provided another statement about what had happened.

        He states that he told the victim to come over and look at him puppy, he then brought her into his bedroom and began touching her, when Megan started screaming and trying to get away he grabbed her head and smashed it onto a dresser. He then grabbed a belt and began to strangle her, when she started to bleed he grabbed a plastic bag and put it around her head so the blood wouldn’t get all over.  When he was in the middle of doing this his roommates returned home so he placed Megan’s dead body into a large toy box that he had converted into a toolbox. He then carried the box downstairs and placed it in his truck. Before leaving her body at the park he admits that he placed his finger in her vagina, and “played with her a little”, before dumping her body into the weeds.