PA LUZERNE COUNTY JANE DOE: WF, 34-47, found in Sugarloaf Township, PA - 20 December 1994 *MARGARET WININGER*

The skeletal remains of Luzerne County Jane Doe were found near a remote Sugarloaf Township mine. Her cause of death was never determined but is presumed to have been homicide. Her remains had been left on the surface of the ground, and were estimated to have been at the location for up to two years. She was between 34 and 47 years old. A yellow shirt, reading "kiss my ass, I'm on vacation," women's underwear, sweatpants and boy's shoes were found. She had borne at least one child, and likely suffered from back pain and may have walked with a limp when alive. She had a significant number of missing teeth, and a fragment of metal unrelated to dental work was found in her jaw.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators attempt to identify 27-year-old remains found in Luzerne Co.

Investigators attempt to identify remains found in Luzerne County 27 years ago. On December 20, 1994, workers doing a mine reclamation project discovered a human skull in a wooded area in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County. The PA State Police responded to the scene and found additional remains...

fox56.com

Investigators attempt to identify 27-year-old remains found in Luzerne Co.​

Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for any information about the remains.

The victim is thought to be a white woman between 34 and 47 years old and about 5'3."

Data suggests the woman was likely not from this area and may have been living in the Southern USA such as Texas, Florida, or the American Southeast during the years before her death.

 

[Lorfor]

She’s been identified now we need to find out what happened to her.

 

[Lorfor]

The skeletal remains of Luzerne County Jane Doe were found near a remote Sugarloaf Township mine. Her cause of death was never determined but is presumed to have been homicide. Her remains had been left on the surface of the ground, and were estimated to have been at the location for up to two years. She was between 34 and 47 years old. A yellow shirt, reading "kiss my ass, I'm on vacation," women's underwear, sweatpants and boy's shoes were found. She had borne at least one child, and likely suffered from back pain and may have walked with a limp when alive. She had a significant number of missing teeth, and a fragment of metal unrelated to dental work was found in her jaw.

*CLICK THE REPORT BUTTON IF YOU'D LIKE THIS CASE MOVED TO THE GENERAL DISCUSSION AREA TO BE OPENED FOR COMMENTING.

 

[Lorfor]

She’s been identified now we need to find out what happened to her.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

She’s been identified now we need to find out what happened to her.

Thanks for the heads up!!

Remains found in Luzerne County in 1994 identified

The remains were found in December 1994, off Tomhicken Road in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County.

www.wnep.com

The remains of a woman missing for nearly 30 years have been identified.

State police say the skeletal remains of a female were discovered in December 1994 off Tomhicken Road in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County, during a mining reclamation project.

On Tuesday, troopers announced that the unidentified female has been identified as Margaret Carol Wininger, born on September 5, 1948. Margaret attended West Hazleton High School from 1965 to 1966. She went missing in the early 1990s when she was living with her family in northeast Philadelphia.

Troopers said advancements in DNA technology and forensic genealogy made the identification possible.


Investigators are asking the public for information related to Margaret returning to the area in the early 1990s. Anyone who had contact with her during that time is asked to contact State Police Troop N Criminal Investigation Assessment Unit at 570-220-8475 or bnoll@pa.gov.

 

[Kimster]

She’s been identified now we need to find out what happened to her.

Thank you!

 

[Lorfor]

Thanks for the heads up!!

Remains found in Luzerne County in 1994 identified

The remains were found in December 1994, off Tomhicken Road in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County.

www.wnep.com

The remains of a woman missing for nearly 30 years have been identified.

State police say the skeletal remains of a female were discovered in December 1994 off Tomhicken Road in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County, during a mining reclamation project.

On Tuesday, troopers announced that the unidentified female has been identified as Margaret Carol Wininger, born on September 5, 1948. Margaret attended West Hazleton High School from 1965 to 1966. She went missing in the early 1990s when she was living with her family in northeast Philadelphia.

Troopers said advancements in DNA technology and forensic genealogy made the identification possible.


Investigators are asking the public for information related to Margaret returning to the area in the early 1990s. Anyone who had contact with her during that time is asked to contact State Police Troop N Criminal Investigation Assessment Unit at 570-220-8475 or bnoll@pa.gov.

This woman is my aunt. She disappeared in 1990 from Philadelphia. We are searching for answers.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

This woman is my aunt. She disappeared in 1990 from Philadelphia. We are searching for answers.

Wow! I'm glad your family has found the next piece of info in the search for her. But I'm sorry it was this.
Is there anything we can do to help? Can you tell us a bit about your aunt?

 

[Lorfor]

We are now trying to figure out how she wound up back in that area. She didn’t have a car at the time of her disappearance and didn’t have much money and had a credit which was tracked and it showed no charges. It was spring of 1990 when she was last seen in Philadelphia. She went to high school in the area where her body was found. We don’t know if she went there on her own or was taken to that area. There is a 1-2 year lapse between the time she went missing and when should would have died. She was alive in that area before her death. We need to find someone that saw or talked with her during that time. She may have been looking to start over. She had recently lost her job at Keebler which she had for a long time. She was living at her sister’s home with her mother which may have contributed to her wanting to start over or try to rebuild her life. She had a very good sense of humor and was a bit sarcastic (the shirt she was found in was definitely her). She was into reading astrology charts, loved books, cats, and gremlin type movies. (ET) She was kind and often goofy. The pictures shown are from when she was very young. She didn’t look like that when she would of been I. That area. Her hair was an ash-brown, she wore it in a ponytail often (high up on her head), sometimes in two pigtails. She was short and chunky. She often wore sweatpants and T-shirts with sneakers, flannel shirts. She rarely got dressed up. She did smoke cigarettes and rarely drank.

 

[Lorfor]

Wow! I'm glad your family has found the next piece of info in the search for her. But I'm sorry it was this.
Is there anything we can do to help? Can you tell us a bit about your aunt?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply. I was very close with my aunt Margie and always wondered what happened to her. I was about 17 when she disappeared and wasn’t living at home or in the area at the time. I remember asking questions of the events surrounding her disappearance but unfortunately there wasn’t much information. She stayed overnight at her cousin’s house the night before and when her cousin woke up she was gone. Her cousin assumed that she just got up early and walked home only to later realize that she never went home. When the detectives reached out to her sister over a month ago for a sample of her dna he shared this crime watch alert with us and we were blown away. Seeing the clothing was like getting hit in the gut. I knew when I saw that shirt that it was her but was hoping it wasn’t. There were somethings in the details that didn’t match up, but it was confirmed late last week that it was her and our hearts sank. I guess I always hoped that she started a new life somewhere and was happy. I have so many questions, now.

 

[Kimster]

We are now trying to figure out how she wound up back in that area. She didn’t have a car at the time of her disappearance and didn’t have much money and had a credit which was tracked and it showed no charges. It was spring of 1990 when she was last seen in Philadelphia. She went to high school in the area where her body was found. We don’t know if she went there on her own or was taken to that area. There is a 1-2 year lapse between the time she went missing and when should would have died. She was alive in that area before her death. We need to find someone that saw or talked with her during that time. She may have been looking to start over. She had recently lost her job at Keebler which she had for a long time. She was living at her sister’s home with her mother which may have contributed to her wanting to start over or try to rebuild her life. She had a very good sense of humor and was a bit sarcastic (the shirt she was found in was definitely her). She was into reading astrology charts, loved books, cats, and gremlin type movies. (ET) She was kind and often goofy. The pictures shown are from when she was very young. She didn’t look like that when she would of been I. That area. Her hair was an ash-brown, she wore it in a ponytail often (high up on her head), sometimes in two pigtails. She was short and chunky. She often wore sweatpants and T-shirts with sneakers, flannel shirts. She rarely got dressed up. She did smoke cigarettes and rarely drank.

Often times when I’ve hit a fork in the road, I’ve wanted to go back to where I grew up as a child. There’s some sort of a comfort feeling there. But the fact that the family didn’t know she was over there? Is that what I’m reading ? And who was she staying with?

 

[Kimster]

Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply. I was very close with my aunt Margie and always wondered what happened to her. I was about 17 when she disappeared and wasn’t living at home or in the area at the time. I remember asking questions of the events surrounding her disappearance but unfortunately there wasn’t much information. She stayed overnight at her cousin’s house the night before and when her cousin woke up she was gone. Her cousin assumed that she just got up early and walked home only to later realize that she never went home. When the detectives reached out to her sister over a month ago for a sample of her dna he shared this crime watch alert with us and we were blown away. Seeing the clothing was like getting hit in the gut. I knew when I saw that shirt that it was her but was hoping it wasn’t. There were somethings in the details that didn’t match up, but it was confirmed late last week that it was her and our hearts sank. I guess I always hoped that she started a new life somewhere and was happy. I have so many questions, now.

OK I guess you answered the question if I would’ve read along. So her cousin lived in the hometown? I wonder what her cousin remembers about your aunt coming back to her hometown?

 

[Lorfor]

OK I guess you answered the question if I would’ve read along. So her cousin lived in the hometown? I wonder what her cousin remembers about your aunt coming back to her hometown?

No, her cousin lives in Philadelphia.

 

[Lorfor]

She was interviewed by detectives.

 

[Lorfor]

Often times when I’ve hit a fork in the road, I’ve wanted to go back to where I grew up as a child. There’s some sort of a comfort feeling there. But the fact that the family didn’t know she was over there? Is that what I’m reading ? And who was she staying with?

Right, that’s what we need to find out. How did she get there and who did she spend time with. She never contacted anyone since she left her cousin’s house in 1990.

 

[Kimster]

Right, that’s what we need to find out. How did she get there and who did she spend time with. She never contacted anyone since she left her cousin’s house in 1990.

Ohhhh. Was she ever known to hitchhike? Now that she's been identified, I wonder how many of her old classmates lived in town at the time and if she contacted any of them?

 

[Lorfor]

Ohhhh. Was she ever known to hitchhike? Now that she's been identified, I wonder how many of her old classmates lived in town at the time and if she contacted any of them?

No, she wasn’t known to hitchhike. Someone in the area must have come in contact with her while she was there. We’re hoping that someone will come forward and speak to the detective.

 

[Kimster]

No, she wasn’t known to hitchhike. Someone in the area must have come in contact with her while she was there. We’re hoping that someone will come forward and speak to the detective.

There are local Facebook pages where a lot of alumni students join. Perhaps one of her fellow classmates saw her. I wonder if the detective is going to try that route?