102. Rumors: The Murder of Joan Feeman

102. Rumors: The Murder of Joan Feeman

From Method & Madness by Dawn Cate

October 7, 2025 · 28 min · Season 5 · Episode 102

About this episode

This episode explores the murder of Joan Freeman, examining various theories and connections to other cases.

I n the late summer of 1968, 22-year-old Joan Freeman reported for an overtime shift at Hoffman-LaRoche, a sprawling pharmaceutical complex on the border of Clifton and Nutley, New Jersey. What should have been an ordinary Saturday at work became a nightmare: Joan would not leave the building alive. From the strange theories surrounding industrial theft and espionage to potential connections with other New Jersey cold cases, we examine the angles investigators considered and what they ultimately concluded. In this episode, we also touch on patterns in workplace homicides, the chilling notion that a coworker could have committed the crime, and the eerie possibility of a connection to the infamous “Torso Killer”, a thread we’ll explore in greater detail in a future episode. Join us as we honor the memory of Joan Freeman and navigate the unanswered questions that haunt her story. Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised. If you have any information about the murder of Joan Freeman, please contact the Clifton Police Department at 973-470-5908. To submit information about the murder of Alexander Messier, contact the Morris…

People in this episode

Host: Dawn Cate

Topics covered

  • murder investigation
  • workplace homicide
  • cold cases
  • industrial theft
  • Torso Killer
  • Joan Freeman

Keywords

  • Joan Freeman
  • murder
  • workplace violence
  • cold case
  • Hoffman-LaRoche
  • Torso Killer
  • New Jersey

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hoffman-LaRoche

Places: Clifton, Nutley

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