In the annals of cold cases in New Jersey, the name Cellastine Wade stands out, not for the information available but for the stark absence of it. Her story is among the many haunting stories on the dusty archive. Once again, we grapple with the unsettling realization of an investigation gone cold, seemingly without much effort to thaw it out.
The exact details surrounding the circumstances of Cellastine’s disappearance remain hazy at best. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) suggests she went missing some time around 1967 or 1968. Despite this uncertainty, one date appears in her file: April 26, 1968. It raises the question: Is this the day someone, whose identity remains undisclosed, reported her missing?
A closer look into the heart of Jersey City, where Cellastine was last seen, offers little more in the way of details. NamUs notes that she was last seen by her family after her workday ended, implying a routine evening that turned anything but. Since that uneventful day, there’s been an agonizing silence from Cellastine, with her family left in a void of not knowing.
Efforts to trace any of Cellastine’s family members or delve into personal anecdotes about her have proven unsuccessful. An eerie silence envelops her case, with no newspaper clippings or alerts to shed light on the circumstances of this young woman’s sudden disappearance.
When she vanished, Cellastine was described as being between 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 5 inches in height, weighing somewhere between 95 to 110 pounds. With dark brown eyes and black or dark brown hair, her features are etched in the memories of those who knew her. However, specific details about her attire or any unique marks she may have had are conspicuously missing from records. If she were with us today, Cellastine would be celebrating her 72nd birthday.
It’s cases like Cellastine’s that underscore the importance of keeping investigations alive, not just for the sake of the missing but for the families left in limbo. For anyone who might have any piece of information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, they are urged to step forward.
Those with potential leads or details about Cellastine Wade are encouraged to contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000 or reach out to their local law enforcement agency. The case’s official reference number is H660-2021-00025.
