PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An arrest has been made in a northwestern Pennsylvania disappearance that’s gone unsolved for 24 years and law enforcement officials said Bucks County’s former district attorney played a key role.
Sabrina Kahler, 20, disappeared on June 24, 2002, last seen in Erie County with her boyfriend’s cousin, David Heck, then 26.
Attorney General Dave Sunday said Heck was suspected in her disappearance but prosecutors couldn’t build a strong enough case.
“For 24 years, Sabrina’s family and friends have been living with a hole in their hearts and a void in their lives,” Sunday said.
Thanks to county, state, and local police, he added, the investigation never ended. With help from his office’s new Cold Case Section, headed up by former Bucks County District Attorney Jen Schorn, Heck, now 50, was apprehended on Monday at his Indiana home and charged with kidnapping, rape and murder.
“She is a career prosecutor and former district attorney with a wealth of experience and expertise in handling these kinds of very important cases,” Sunday said of Schorn. “She also knows that these cases are not solved without collaboration and that’s what this cold case unit is all about.”
According to Sunday, Heck had been a suspect from the start, as he was the last person seen with her. He said two people who were with Heck that day finally came forward with incriminating information and a former cellmate testified before a grand jury that Heck admitted to her disappearance and murder.
Sunday said he hopes this is just the start for Schorn’s unit.
“Currently, the unit has seven case referrals from counties throughout the commonwealth. These are unsolved homicides. The victims are both adults and children. Some of these innocent lives were taken just a few years ago, others decades ago,” he said.
“The tremendous work by Senior Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Schorn reflects that commitment,” said Erie County District Attorney Beth Hirz.
“Their efforts were instrumental in bringing this matter forward and ultimately resulted in an arrest, and my office is deeply grateful for their efforts.”
New cold case unit headed by former Bucks DA Jen Schorn played key role in efforts to arrest, charge suspect
New cold case unit headed by former Bucks DA Jen Schorn played key role in efforts to arrest, charge suspect
