The Missing
Margaret Haddican-McEnroe
Case #: 06-11949
Somerset County
Margaret Haddican-McEnroe was a 29 year old Army Veteran and volunteer firefighter when she disappeared from her residence near the vicinity of Wychwood Way and Roundtop Road in Warren Township, New Jersey on October 10, 2006. Her husband, Tim McEnroe is said to have left their home at 1:30 P.M. and had returned two hours later to find his wife missing and their 6 month old child home alone. Tim noted that $11,000 cash inside of a duffel bag was missing from his home, but his wifes’ previously broken cellphone and her vehicle remained at the house. Margarets credit card was also missing but the police found no activity on her bank account since her disappearance. The cellphone, Tim stated, had been broken during an argument the couple had the night before. She was reported missing by her husband on Thursday, October 12, two days after he last saw her on Tuesday, October 10. Margaret was said to have threatened suicide in the past and could have also been suffering from post-partum depression, a psychological condition that can occur in women during the first year after giving birth.
Margaret was born on August 25, 1977 to Terri Diel in Livingston, Illinois. Her mother, being a young teenager, chose to give her up for adoption when she was a baby with the name “Sherwood Haley,” a combination of her mother’s maiden name and her birth father’s name. She was adopted by Eileen and Patrick Haddican from Jackson, Mississippi and raised her as the oldest of four adopted children in Warren, New Jersey. She seemed to have had a good childhood. She played sports in highschool and trained in boxing as a teenager.
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Margaret enlisted in the Army and completed basic training in Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina in 2001, where she used her birth name, “Sherwood Haley” and she may have identification with that name. For two years, she was stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas, as a tank mechanic.
During her time in the army, she searched for and found her birth mother. They had enjoyed a close relationship ever since 1998. She also made contact with her birth father but lost touch shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She was medically discharged from the army in 2004 and later married her longtime friend Tim McEnroe. At the time of her disappearance in 2006, she had been a volunteer firefighter with the Mount Bethel Fire company and she had recently resumed her duties after taking a leave of absence for the birth of her daughter. She was previously with the Washington Valley Fire company, and won an award for her rescue and evacuation efforts during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
The timeline for Margaret’s disappearance is as follows:
-On October 9, 2006, Margaret had an argument with her husband. Police were called to the home on a report of a domestic disturbance. By the time officers arrived she had left for her parents house, but returned home later that evening. This is when Margaret’s phone had been broken. Margaret apparently had a history of walking out of the home and returning after she calmed down. Her family says the couple were having marital problems and Margaret was considering a divorce.
-On October 10, 2006, Margaret had a phone call with her best friend between 8:30 am and 9:00 am from her residence. Her husband left at approximately 1:30 p.m to buy baby formula from the local A&P. At 3:00 p.m, he returned to find Margaret was absent and their six month old daughter was home alone in her crib. Margaret never came back home.
-On October 12, 2006, Margaret was reported missing by her husband to the Warren Township Police Department. He said he waited two days before doing so, at the urging of friends, who believed she would soon return, since she had done this before.
Upon an examination of their home, there was no evidence of any kind of damage or a sign of a break in, and there were no indications that Margaret had someone forcibly remove her. Since Margaret’s vehicle was located in the couple’s driveway, she was believed to have been traveling on foot.
Six weeks later, one of Margaret’s army T-shirts was found on Thanksgiving Day 2006 by a Warren Police Officer on Dock Watch Hollow Road, which was about one mile from their home. The T-shirt featured her Army division number. It was sent to a laboratory for analysis, but it came up with no conclusive data. The shirt was not weathered and had appeared to not be out in the elements for long.
On July 28, 2007, FBI agents and detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s office and the Warren Township Police Department, along with the NJ State Police Aviation Unit and Missing Person Unites and even the Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit helped to canvas the neighborhood where she lived with Tim and her young children. They also investigated a large fenced-in quarry in the area. The 9 hour pursuit involved search dogs, mounted patrol and more than 50 trained searchers, but unfortunately no new clues were found.
4 years later, on June 7, 2011, Tim McEnroe was publicly named as a person of interest after authorities interviewed potential witnesses and neighbors near the family’s home, however Tim stated that being a person of interest bothered him a lot. At the time of Margaret’s disappearance, the couple had been married for less than two years but he had known her since she was 20 years old.
He said, “I never understood it. I had done everything and anything they wanted. They searched our house 15 times. They searched the backyard, our rental house, I gave them permission to tap the phone, go through bank statements. Anything they wanted, I gave them. They paid me back by naming me a person of interest. They did it to make me look bad, like I was about to be arrested.”
Police never found any evidence, means or motive for foul play in Margaret’s disappearance. Her friends and family don’t believe she would have left without telling someone, nor would she leave her three kids behind, claiming her children were her number one priority.
Margaret’s daughters don’t remember their mother, because the youngest was 6 months old and the oldest daughter was just 2 years old.
She has a tribal tattoo on her stomach, a fire helmet on her left thigh, and numerous tattoos on her back.
Margaret was last seen wearing a black “BDU” jacket, a grey “Army” sweatshirt with black lettering, white checkered pajama pants, white socks, and white “Nike” brand sneakers. She was wearing a silver chain with dog tags and a white wedding ring with three diamonds. She may be carrying a black bag containing additional clothing.
She is described as being a tough, physically strong woman. She is a white female, 5’02” in height, 110 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a light complexion. Her mental state/wellbeing is still unknown at this point in time.
Authorities have little evidence to indicate Margaret’s fate and are not discounting any possibilities. Her co-workers and family members state that she was behaving normally prior to her disappearance.
A $5,000 reward is being offered by Crimestoppers of Somerset County for information leading to her whereabouts.
Any further information, please contact the Warren Township Police Department at 908-753-1000.
Sources:
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/1221?nav
Margaret Haddican McEnroe
Margaret I. Haddican-McEnroe
Margaret Haddican-McEnroe
Mother of 3, Margaret Haddican-McEnroe, disappears
I have also recently found out that there is an episode on Margarets case on the TV show called Disappeared: Season 5 Episode 7 “Hometown Hero”
M.I.A 
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