Mary Jane Barker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 28, 1953 Bellmawr, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Disappeared | February 25, 1957 (aged 3) Bellmawr, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | c. March 3, 1957 (aged 4) Bellmawr, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Starvation |
| Burial place | Bellmawr, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Known for | Mysterious circumstances of death |
| Father | Frank Barker |
On February 25, 1957, Mary Jane Barker, an American 4-year-old girl from Bellmawr, New Jersey, went missing along with her playmate's dog. After an extensive search throughout the city, dubbed by the press as "the largest search in South Jersey", her dead body was discovered by her playmate in the closet of a vacant house near her home on March 3. The dog bounded out of the closet, seemingly unharmed.
Despite the initial suspicion of foul play, the death was ruled an accident; a case of starvation and exposure as Barker was unable to escape the closet. Investigators concluded that Barker died on February 28, three days after her disappearance. As a result, the mayor ordered closet doors to open more easily. The press surrounding the Barker case also led to the first calls about the "Boy in the Box".