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Cold Case Remains Unsolved On 12th Anniversary

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (CBS 2) – When 17-year-old Nancy Noga failed to come home 12 years ago, there weren't many clues as to what happened.

Although her beaten body turned up a few days later in some woods behind a strip mall in Sayreville, her case remains unsolved to this day.

"I know that it's 12 years old, but it's still an active investigation. It's very personal to us," Sayreville Police Capt. John Zebrowski said.

Noga vanished on her way home from an after-school job on Jan. 7, 1999 -- a night just as bitterly cold as its 12th anniversary.

"Her body was found several yards beyond the makeshift shrine that's located here," Zebrowski told CBS 2's John Slattery.

Her body was found, fully clothed, struck in the head with a tree limb.  Detectives believe the girl, who was very cautious by nature, may have known her killer.

"She wasn't that type of person who would automatically go with someone she didn't know," Zebrowski said.

Police initially had a sketch of someone seen in the area, but it led nowhere. Police are now re-testing evidence because of DNA advancements since the time of the killing.

"Those advancements have allowed us to take evidence, to have it re-examined to see if there's anything we missed or was missed by the lab at the time of the submission," Zebrowski said.

In murder cases, there is no statute of limitations so police want the killer to know he is still being sought.

Police said even on such a bitterly cold night, it's not likely Noga would have accepted a ride from someone she didn't know.

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