HANOVER TWP., PA — A Luzerne County judge has approved an exhumation petition to aid investigators in identifying an unknown woman whose remains were discovered along the Susquehanna River more than six decades ago.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge David W. Lupas granted the petition filed by District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce and Assistant District Attorney James L. McMonagle Jr. The request allows county officials, in partnership with the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office and forensic specialists from the University of South Florida, to exhume the body from Maple Hill Cemetery in Hanover Township.
Grant funding recently awarded to the University of South Florida will support the extraction and analysis of DNA from the woman's skeletal remains. Although initial reports in 1964 suggested foul play was not suspected, prosecutors noted in their court filing that modern investigators now view the case as potentially criminal in nature.
Historical records show the woman's body was discovered unclothed and severely decomposed on May 11, 1964, in heavy brush along the west bank of the Susquehanna River near Kirby Park, several hundred yards downstream from the Market Street Bridge. An angler fishing from a rowboat spotted the remains.
The woman was buried nine days after her discovery on May 20, 1964. She was estimated to be between 40 and 60 years old at the time of her death. Officials hope advanced DNA extraction methods will yield a genetic profile capable of establishing her identity and aiding the cold case investigation.
