Remains found in Pennsylvania more than 50 years ago are identified as a missing teenage girl

By Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — The remains of a York, Pennsylvania, teenager who disappeared in 1973 have been identified through genealogical research and DNA analysis more than 50 years after she went missing, authorities said.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, two game wardens discovered the decomposed remains on October 10, 1973, under a plastic sheet and brush in a wooded area in Union Township. Investigators were unable to identify them at the time, but described the Jane Doe as a white woman with long brown or blonde hair. The manner of her death was ruled indefinite.

More than half a century later, researchers determined, using DNA analysis and interviews with living relatives, that the remains were those of Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, a 14-year-old from York who police said had been missing since the start of the 1973 school year .

“Their work has given us some closure on questions that have lingered for the past 51 years,” Ruth’s family said in a statement read by police at a news conference Thursday.

The case lingered until 2016, when police dug up the remains in a remote corner of a cemetery in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, to obtain her DNA. That was after years of failed attempts to identify Ruth, including developing two busts of what the girl might have looked like.

The remains were taken to an area hospital where they were examined. But it wasn’t until years later — as genealogical technology advanced — that investigators last month identified the remains as belonging to Ruth, police said.

Born on November 26, 1958, Ruth went to school and never returned home. Whether she actually came to school – and how far she got to and from school – is still under investigation. A few months later, her remains were found about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of her birthplace, Keck said. There are no records indicating Ruth is dead and it is unclear whether she has been reported missing, according to state police.

As part of the genealogical research process, researchers interviewed family members, looked through old news articles and examined court documents.

“Once you make contact with the family, it’s kind of a moment where you realize who they were looking for all along,” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ian Keck said at Thursday’s news conference. “It brings a surprise to the family. It’s 51 years later and they always had that unanswered question, and finally with the research we were able to give that answer to them.

The case marks another example of how investigative genealogy – a field that combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy to find biological connections between people – helps detectives solve cold cases and identify the remains of unknown people who died decades ago. found.

“At that time, genealogy was probably in its infancy,” Keck said. “But it was with the advancement of technology that our hope was to continue to make progress.”

It is still unclear how the girl died. Pennsylvania State Police are continuing to investigate Ruth’s death to determine her last known activities, authorities said.

Although there was “some degree of suspicion” about her death, whether it was a homicide is still under investigation, through the office of the coroner, Sergeant of the Pennsylvania State Police. Josh Lacey said Thursday. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information about the case, police said Friday.

“There’s another part of this investigation and it’s not over yet, so we have to continue,” Keck said.

The CNN Wire
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