On August 15, 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington set out alone to walk to the Trinity Christian Reformed Church for vacation bible school which was only 3/4 of a mile from her home in the suburb of Broomall in Pennsylvania when she was kidnapped. 2 months later, her body was found in Ridley Creek State Park 2 1/2 miles from where she was last seen. She had been the victim of a homicide with her cause of death being blunt force injuries to her head. Her murderer eluded police for almost 50 years, until 2023 when he was finally caught.

Sources:

Websleuths (2023)

Newsweek (2023)

The Philadelphia Inquirer (2023)

Philly Magazine (2023)

11 Alive (2023)

Books

Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kindapping, Murder, and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia by Joanne Falcone Sullivan and Mike Mathis (2022)

Audio

11Alive- Marietta man accused in 1975 Pennsylvania child murder| Police news conference (YouTube, 2023)