Bodies Exhumed In Berks County Identified As Missing Philadelphia Teens
By Todd Quinones
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A murder case goes unsolved for more than 40 years.
But DNA testing solves a big piece of the puzzle.
Eyewitness News reporter Todd Quinones spoke with a relative about the dramatic turn.
Fourteen-year-old Sandra Stiver and her 17-year-old sister-in-law Martha were last seen alive by their families in 1968.
Last spotted here in Kensington at Frankford and Kensington Avenues, the girls simply vanished.
This week Sandy's brother Walter and his family were told DNA tests proved Sandy and Martha were identified as two previous Jane Does who were buried in a potter's field in Berks County in the late 1960s.
"For a while there, we thought maybe she was alive," Walter Sterner said.
The girls' bodies were exhumed last fall as a cold case unit with the Pennsylvania State Police started looking into the Jane Does on behalf of Sandy's family.
The Berks County Coroner says Sandy was murdered.
"Was found along Route 82 in Caernarvon Township. She had several bullet wounds in the abdomen, chest and one in the temple," Dennis J. Hess, Berks County Coroner said.
The discovery has brought some relief to Sandy's family.
Her dad died in the 1970s from cancer, but never gave up looking for her.
Sandy's mom is alive in Ohio, but in fragile health.
"Especially 46 years, not knowing. It's a shame. She gets closure now," Walter said.
No arrests have ever been made.
In the meantime, Sandy's family plans on bringing her remains to Ohio so that she could have a proper burial.
