Pitcairn Woman Believes Remains Exhumed In Westmoreland Co. Are That Of Her Missing Sister
PITCAIRN (KDKA) -- Mary Thompson, of Pitcairn, was only 4-years-old when her 13-year-old sister, Teala, vanished.
For years, the teenager was listed as a missing person, but now, Thompson thinks the remains of a young girl exhumed Friday in a potter's field in Westmoreland County are that of her sister.
Thompson says state police have already contacted her about providing DNA, which could be the key to the case.
Thompson said before her mother died, her mother told her that her sister had been murdered, and that, "she's up in Greensburg."
Thompson says, "My mom never talked about it, she never brought it up, she never went to identify the body at the morgue [when police contacted her]. She always thought my sister was coming home. That's why I know it's my sister."
Teala disappeared in the summer of 1967, and weeks later, the body of an unidentified teenager girl was found covered in dirt and garbage in a Greensburg-area landfill.
On Friday afternoon, the unidentified girl's remains were unearthed, along with the remains of a baby boy found murdered in the Jeannette area just a month before the girl's body was found.
Neither of the deaths are thought to be related; however, the two shared the same unmarked grave in Potter's Field.
Holding back tears, Thompson told KDKA-TV, "I want to bring my sister home to her family, her loved ones. She's been missing all this time, lying there by herself. I want to put Teala with her mother, brothers, and sisters. I want her to have a proper burial, and make her safe."
There's no indication on how long the DNA testing might take.
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