STROUDSBURG, PA — On a frigid January night in 1962, firefighters rushed to a burning home on Sarah Street in Stroudsburg. Inside the smoke-filled residence, they made a horrific discovery: 22-year-old Christine Maps lay unconscious on the kitchen floor, beaten with savage force, while her 4-month-old daughter Julia Louise had already succumbed to smoke inhalation.

By the time the flames were extinguished, one person was conspicuously absent: Edward Howard Maps, the 39-year-old husband and father. His two cars sat in the garage, keys in the ignitions. His wallet, passport, bank books, stocks and bonds were all left behind in the charred house. But Edward Maps himself had vanished without a trace—and 63 years later, the mystery of what happened that night remains unsolved.

Anyone with information about Edward Howard Maps or the 1962 murders is urged to contact:

Pennsylvania State Police
Troop N Headquarters, Hazleton
570-459-3890

Case Details:

• Name: Edward Howard Maps
• Missing Since: January 21, 1962
• Missing From: 510 Sarah Street, Stroudsburg, PA
• Age When Missing: 39 years old
• Current Age: 103 years old (if alive)
• Description: White male, 5’6″-5’8″, 160-170 lbs, graying black wavy hair, brown eyes, ruddy complexion
• Last Seen Wearing: Topcoat, dungarees, Cossack-style cap, sandals without socks
• Medical: Diagnosed with schizophrenia/PTSD following WWII service
• NamUs Case: MP7194
• FBI: Ten Most Wanted, 1962-1967
• Victims: Christine Wolbach Maps, 22; Julia Louise Maps, 4 months

A Crime That Shocked the Poconos

The incident occurred on January 21, 1962, at 510 Sarah Street. Firefighters received the call around 10:48 p.m. and estimated the fire had been burning for approximately 40 minutes before their arrival.

Christine Maps died seven hours later at Monroe County General Hospital, never regaining consciousness. An autopsy revealed she had been struck in the head with “terrible violence” using a blunt instrument at least four inches wide. The coroner noted her injuries were consistent with what might be expected if she’d been in a vehicle that struck a pole at 55 miles per hour.

Investigators discovered someone had set approximately 10 separate fires throughout the two-story home. The kitchen oven had been turned to 450 degrees with the door left wide open. Julia Louise, the infant, was found on a wicker sofa near the kitchen, buried under a blanket, having died of smoke inhalation.

The deaths were ruled murders, with arson intended to conceal the crimes.

The Manhunt Begins

Within hours, a warrant was issued for Edward Maps’ arrest on charges of arson and homicide. What followed was one of the most extensive manhunts in Pennsylvania history.

Local police, state troopers, and FBI agents scoured the area. State game protectors searched the woods, caves, and hunting cabins of the Pocono Mountains. Bus and taxi drivers reported no passengers matching Maps’ description that night. No one could explain how he’d left the scene.

In June 1962, five months after the murders, Edward Maps was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, where he remained for nearly five years—making him one of the longest-tenured fugitives on that notorious roster.

The Only Confirmed Sighting

On August 7, 1962, a lone gunman robbed the Little Falls Savings Bank in New Jersey, stealing $3,000. The robber was later identified from FBI photos as Edward Maps. Significantly, Little Falls is located just five miles from Passaic, New Jersey—Maps’ birthplace.

That was the last confirmed sighting of Edward Howard Maps.

Over the decades, reported sightings came from locations as varied as Maryland, Turkey, and Mexico. In 1967, authorities investigated a photograph on the cover of Life Magazine showing a group of artists; one bore a “striking resemblance” to Maps. The lead went nowhere.

An Alternative Theory Emerges

While Maps’ disappearance made him the prime suspect, doubts about his guilt have persisted for decades. Some investigators and journalists have pointed to troubling questions about the evidence—or lack thereof.

Maps had no apparent motive. By all accounts from neighbors and friends who saw the couple that evening, Edward and Christine appeared happy. They had visited neighbors with their baby just hours before the fire, and both were described as cheerful and affectionate.

More significantly, an alternative suspect emerged decades later: Christine’s father, Robert Wolbach.

The Father-in-Law Theory

The relationship between Edward Maps and his father-in-law was, by multiple accounts, toxic. The young couple had lived with Christine’s parents during her pregnancy, an arrangement that created severe tension.

Julia Wolbach, Christine’s mother, had filed for divorce from Robert, claiming she feared he could be physically violent. She alleged Robert was mentally ill and had once stormed into her home throwing things around in a rage.

Most bizarrely, Robert accused his estranged wife of having a sexual relationship with their son-in-law—an allegation Julia “emphatically denied.” Robert reportedly blamed Edward for the collapse of his marriage and had allegedly threatened to kill him.

When questioned, Robert Wolbach claimed he was on an Alaska Airlines flight from Miami to New York City on the night of the murders. However, investigators later discovered Alaska Airlines didn’t operate a Miami to NYC flight that day. While Robert may have confused airline names, the discrepancy raised questions that were never fully resolved.

Some have speculated that if Robert Wolbach was involved, he may have hired someone to kill Maps—and that Edward’s body could be at the bottom of the Delaware River, where Wolbach owned property. However, critics of this theory ask why Robert would murder his own daughter and granddaughter.

A Complicated Portrait

Edward Howard Maps was a man who defied easy categorization. Born in New Jersey in 1922 to a distinguished surgeon, he served in the Marines during World War II. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia—or what might today be recognized as PTSD—and discharged in 1945.

After the war, Maps studied art and psychology at Syracuse University, then sculpture in New York City. He worked as an art teacher at the Henry Street Settlement, where he met Christine Wolbach.

Friends and acquaintances described Maps as a talented artist and sculptor, well-respected in the art world. Some characterized him as “a fine artist and a very interesting, eclectic person.” Others called him kind, gentle, and helpful, noting they’d never seen him argue with anyone.

Maps was also described as eccentric—a “beatnik” who dressed unconventionally, often going barefoot in summer and wearing sandals without socks in winter. He didn’t hold regular employment, occasionally selling paintings or sculptures at art fairs.

But Christine’s father and some newspaper accounts painted a darker picture, describing him as lazy, insolent, and a “complete sponger.”

The Case Goes Cold

In 1967, Maps was removed from the FBI’s Most Wanted list. In 1971, authorities declared him legally dead, though no body was ever found and no grave has been identified. The FBI reportedly destroyed Maps’ fugitive file in December 1977.

The house at 510 Sarah Street, which had become known as the “Mystery House” and attracted curious visitors, was razed in 1972. A row of townhouses now occupies the site.

In the 1980s, Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine hoped that featuring the case on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” would generate new leads. It didn’t.

“We were sort of disheartened,” Christine said at the time. “We didn’t know of any other way to solve this case. There are so few murders in Monroe County. We don’t think something like this should go unpunished.”

An Enduring Mystery

If Edward Howard Maps is alive today, he would be 103 years old. Most investigators believe he’s long dead—whether he died fleeing through the Pennsylvania wilderness, was murdered himself, or lived out his years in hiding under an assumed identity remains unknown.

The case remains officially open, listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as Case #MP7194. Pennsylvania does not close murder investigations.

Whether Edward Maps was a cold-blooded killer who murdered his family and vanished, a victim who stumbled upon a crime scene and fled in terror, or himself a murder victim whose body was never found, the truth died with those who knew what really happened on that January night in 1962.

For Stroudsburg, the Maps case remains the borough’s most notorious unsolved mystery—a reminder that some secrets stay buried forever.

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