SEA ISLE CITY — Betty Hottenstein returned to Sea Isle City for the 2010 Polar Bear Plunge looking for anyone who may have details on what happened to her daughter, Tracy Hottenstein, 35, during last year’s Polar Bear Plunge weekend.
Three days short of her 36th birthday, Tracy’s body was found by a passerby on Sunday, Feb. 15, at approximately 7:35 a.m. at the street end on 42nd Place at the Sea Isle City Marina.
Tracy was last seen leaving the Ocean Drive Bar and Restaurant, 3915 Landis Ave., here at approximately 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. Tracy was wearing a black, long-sleeved top, dark blue jeans, tan Ugg brand boots, a pink plaid hat, and pink scarf. To date, investigators have not been able to determine all of Tracy’s movements after leaving the bar.
“What happened from the time she left the O.D. bar at 2:15 a.m., ’til her body was discovered at 10:08 the next morning is unknown,” Hottenstein said.
“We’re out here today to find someone that saw something that can tell us what happened. We don’t know if it was an accident; we don’t know if it was a homicide or if people knew what happened and didn’t come to her aid,” she said.
Hottenstein and friends of Tracy handed out flyers to people walking by and asked if they saw her last year.
Hottenstein hopes the fliers will get the attention of last year’s visitors who may live far away from the area, and may not have seen local media reports on Tracy’s death. Hottenstein said in the past year they haven’t received any information.
The County Prosecutor’s Office Incident Command Vehicle was stationed near the beach on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Sea Isle City Police Department walked around attempting to locate anyone who may have information about Tracy’s death.
Hottenstein said the rest of her life will be dedicated to finding what happened to her daughter.
Prosecutor Robert Taylor and Sea Isle City Police Chief D’intino encourage anyone who saw her after 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009 to contact Lt. Lynn Frame, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 609-465-1135, Sea Isle City Police Department at 609-263-4311
Send anonymous cell phone tip to county sheriff by texting 847411 or by clicking Here
Avalon – Maybe deport them instead of destroying what was once a great city! This is ridiculous. New York City launched a pilot program to help migrants transition out of city shelters by providing them with…