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Pennsylvania Police Reveal 1975 Cold Case Killer Was Family’s Former Reverend

Authorities in Delaware County have charged an 83-year-old man and former pastor with the death of Gretchen Harrington, it has been announced.

Verity Partington
6 min readJul 25, 2023
Gretchen Harrington, murdered in 1975 (Image)

It was a crime that rocked a small Pennsylvania township: the brutal murder of an eight-year-old girl that went unsolved for nearly 50 years.

But now police say they have at last solved the cold case murder of Gretchen Harrington — and discovered that the killer was someone the family once considered a friend and fellow member of the Christian community. Here, we’ll take a look at this shocking crime.

Gretchen’s last movements

It was August 15th 1975, and Gretchen was walking the short distance to the final day of her summer bible camp in Marple Township, Pennsylvania.

The little girl usually went with her sisters, but on that particular day she was alone because the youngest member of the family had just been brought home from hospital. However, the small suburb of Philadelphia was known for being a safe place for families, and Gretchen’s parents undoubtedly weren’t worried about her making the short walk alone.

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Verity Partington
Verity Partington

Written by Verity Partington

A writer and author of crime thrillers living in the UK. Partial to books, stationery, papercrafts and walking. You can find her books on Amazon here: https://a

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