1976 Cold Case Closed: Unraveling the Murder of a Pregnant Teen Found in Suitcases
Boyfriend has been charged with the murder 44 years later
On December 20, 1976, passersby, making their way along Interstate Route 80 near the Lehigh River in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, made a harrowing discovery. Underneath the bridge lay three suitcases that had been thrown from the bridge above. When people drew closer, the familiar stench of decomposition permeated their nostrils, and they flagged down the nearest police officer.
When officers opened the three suitcases, they recoiled in horror. Inside were the remains of a young woman who had been shot, strangled, dismembered, and dumped in three suitcases. Her body had been heavily mutilated, and the scene was too much for even the most seasoned officers to bear. Heartbreakingly, there wasn’t just one body found in the suitcase, but two.
The body of an unborn baby girl believed to be at nine months gestation was also found. The mother had also suffered sexual trauma before her life was taken. Investigators determined the baby had been removed before the body was sawn into ten pieces. On the left hand of the remains were the letters WSR with a four or a five written in pen, with a four or a seven underneath to the right-hand side. The significance of these…
