Remains found in Pennsylvania over 50 years ago are identified as teen girl who went missing

By Dalia Faheid, CNN

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

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

Over half a century later, investigators using DNA analysis and interviews with living relatives determined the remains as those of Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman, a 14-year-old from York who had been missing since the beginning of the 1973 school year, according to police.

“Their work has provided us with 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 went cold until 2016, when police exhumed the remains from a remote corner of a cemetery in Lebanon, Pennsylviana, to obtain her DNA. That was after years of unsuccessful attempts to identify Ruth that included developing two busts of what the girl could have looked like.

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

Ruth, born November, 26, 1958, left for school and never returned home. Whether she actually made it to school – and how far she got to and from school – remains under investigation. A couple months later, her remains were found about 50 miles north of her hometown, Keck said. There were no records declaring Ruth dead and it’s unclear whether she was reported missing, according to state police.

As part of the genealogy research process, investigators interviewed family members, looked through old news articles and perused court documents.

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

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

“At that time, genealogy was most likely in the infancy stage,” Keck said. “But it was with the advancement of technology that was our hope to kind of keep moving forward.”

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

While there was “some level of suspicion” to her death, whether it was a homicide is still pending through the coroner’s office, Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Josh Lacey said Thursday. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information on the case, police said Friday.

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

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