Pennsylvania State Police say they've identified remains found 51 years ago as a missing 14-year-old girl from York.
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Remains found in Pennsylvania in 1973 are identified as a missing 14-year-old
A girl’s remains found under brush and a plastic tarp in the Pennsylvania woods 51 years ago were identified by state police Thursday as 14-year-old Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, who was last seen leaving for school in fall 1973.
State police said genetic genealogy helped determine the identity of the decomposed body that was discovered near Fort Indiantown Gap by two game wardens on Oct. 10, 1973. The cause and manner of death of Ruthie, as she was known, have not been determined, police said.
“Just because we identified her today, that doesn’t end our investigation,” Trooper Ian Keck said at a news conference Thursday. “Learning about her everyday life and who she associated with is a key part of this investigation.”
Her body was exhumed from a cemetery in 2016, leading to her identification last month, state police said. Her home in York is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from where her remains were recovered.
A statement from her family members thanked investigators, saying their work provided “some closure on questions that have lingered for the past 51 years.”
Two game wardens found her body under a tarp and brush near Ridge and Tomstown Roads in Union Township on Oct. 10, 1973. The area is about 47 miles from where she lived.
www.wgal.com
Remains found in Lebanon County woods 51 years ago identified as girl from York County
Pennsylvania State Police said remains found 51 years ago in a wooded area of Lebanon County have been identified as 14-year-old Ruth Brenneman, of York County, who disappeared after going to school one day.
Two game wardens found her body under a tarp and brush near Ridge and Tomstown Roads in Union Township on Oct. 10, 1973. The area is about 47 miles from where she lived.
"Ruth was last seen in the beginning of the 1973 school year after she left for school and never returned home. Ruth Brenneman was a young female just shy of her 15th birthday and known for her long blonde hair. We continue to investigate the circumstances around Ruth Brenneman’s discovery," Sgt. John Lacey said at a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Police did not say how she died or whether her death was a homicide.
Investigators said the key to identifying Brenneman was genealogy technology that was gathered using her DNA.
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