A volunteer firefighter, Army veteran and mother of three disappeared from her quiet New Jersey community 20 years ago, just one day after telling her family she planned to leave her husband.
Now, two decades later, Margaret Haddican-McEnroe’s devastated relatives believe the case is finally receiving the attention it deserves. The FBI has announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance, the Daily Mail has learned.
“Somebody knows something. It is only a matter of time until we get answers,” her sister, Adrienne Haddican, said.
“The fact that we still have no answers 20 years later is inexcusable.”
Haddican-McEnroe was 29 when she was last seen at her Warren Township home by her husband, landscaper Timothy McEnroe, on October 10, 2006.
Her husband, whom investigators later identified as a person of interest and who was the last known person to see her, reported her missing two days later.
Timothy has never been arrested or accused of having a role in his wife’s disappearance.
From the beginning, Haddican-McEnroe’s friends and relatives maintained that she would never have willingly left behind her three children.
Margaret Haddican-McEnroe, a mother of three, disappeared from her New Jersey home in 2006 after telling relatives she wanted to divorce her husband
Haddican-McEnroe, a volunteer firefighter and Army veteran, was last seen at home by her husband, landscaper Timothy McEnroe, on October 10, 2006
Her family promptly told police that the young mother had recently said she wanted to divorce Timothy and take their children with her.
Adrienne, now a retired New York Police Department lieutenant, said she last saw her sister in their parents’ driveway the day before Margaret vanished.
“She looked agitated. She went into my parents’ house for a couple of minutes and then left,” Adrienne recalled.
“My dad said she was on the phone to someone, cursing and screaming at them. Then she slammed the phone down and told my dad she wanted to divorce Timothy and take the children.”
Adrienne said Margaret later called their mother and asked whether she and the children could stay at their parents’ home.
But she never arrived.
After several days without hearing from Margaret, Adrienne said their mother called the family home. Timothy’s mother answered, saying Margaret was not there and that she would pass along a message.
“It was so out of the ordinary for Margaret to do this,” Adrienne said.
After Haddican-McEnroe was reported missing, her family and friends told police she had recently said she wanted to divorce her husband and take their children
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, the FBI announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved
“When she didn’t show up, I started putting the pieces together in my own head that something had gone wrong.”
“When I found out Margaret was missing, my immediate thought was that something terrible had happened,” Adrienne continued.
“Especially because Timothy had not reported her missing for two days.”
Adrienne said communication between investigators and the family was limited during the early stages of the search.
“I had told the police everything I knew and that Margaret wanted to divorce Timothy,” she said.
“They told me there was no indication that a crime had been committed.”
The FBI joined the investigation in 2011.
After federal agents carried out a two-hour search of the area where Haddican-McEnroe was last seen, Adrienne said Timothy was identified as a person of interest.
“Five years after the disappearance, he was named as a person of interest and still is to this day,” Adrienne said.
Her relatives have always said the 29-year-old mother would never have left without her children
Haddican-McEnroe’s sister described her as “fearless” and “loyal,” saying she “spent her life refusing to look away when people needed her”
An FBI press release states that Timothy was designated a person of interest in June 2011.
According to local reports from the time, Timothy left the couple’s home to run errands on the morning his wife disappeared.
He reportedly returned to find Margaret gone and their five-month-old baby alone in a crib.
Margaret’s car and damaged cellphone remained at the house, while Timothy claimed that $11,000 in cash had disappeared from the home.
Timothy McEnroe reported his wife missing two days after he last saw her at their home (Source: FBI)
Asked why he waited two days to contact authorities, Timothy reportedly said his wife had previously disappeared for several days after arguments between them.
He claimed Haddican-McEnroe would return after she had calmed down.
Her family rejected that explanation, insisting she would not have left without her children.
In a statement, Timothy said he has consistently cooperated with law enforcement during the two-decade investigation.
“As far as being a person of interest, I have cooperated with everything [police] have asked of me,” he said.
“I, along with the kids, who are young adults now, our friends and family all miss their wife, mom and friend very much.”
After years without a breakthrough, the FBI announced this past summer that it was offering a new $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
It was not immediately known whether the announcement had produced new leads, but Margaret’s relatives remain hopeful.
“I do believe we are getting serious traction. People are not afraid to talk anymore,” Adrienne said.
“If someone shoved something down in the back of their mind, they are not escaping it.”
“It is sad to think that we might never know what happened to her, but I do think someone will be held accountable for it whether we know what happened or not,” she continued.
Haddican-McEnroe’s mother, Eileen, and sisters BethAnn, Christine and Adrienne have vowed to continue searching for the missing mother
“At the end of the day, we don’t want another milestone. We just want to bring Margaret home.”
A spokesperson for the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Haddican-McEnroe’s case remains open but declined to provide details about any suspects or persons of interest.
“Due to the nature of the investigation, we are limited in the information that we can provide at this time and cannot comment on specific investigative details, including the status or involvement of any individual,” the spokesperson said.
“Detectives continue to follow leads and pursue information that may assist in determining what happened to Margaret.
“We encourage anyone with information relevant to this investigation to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office or the FBI, or to leave a confidential tip. We appreciate the public’s continued interest in this investigation.”
Adrienne, meanwhile, has vowed to keep searching for answers about her “fearless” and “loyal” sister.
“Margaret spent her life refusing to look away when people needed her, and 20 years later we are asking people not to turn away from her,” Adrienne said.
“She was definitely one of those people where, if you were lucky enough to be friends with her, she would show you a good time. She was fun and would show up for anyone.
“My sister would take you on an adventure that you would never have gone on without her.”