This individual was recently confirmed to have been identified. Some details may change as more information is released publicly.
Ruth Elizabeth “Ruthie” Brenneman (November 26, 1958 - c. September 1973) was a teenager who was found deceased in a wooded area off of a dirt road near Moonshine Road in Jonestown, Pennsylvania, in 1973.
She was identified in October 2024, which was publicly announced the following month.
Case[]
Due to the state of decomposition, her cause of death could not immediately be determined. There were signs of an attempt to hide her body beneath various branches, pieces of brush, and a piece of green plastic that bore a label for a laboratory that did not exist. Based on the concealment of the remains, it is believed Brenneman met with foul play.
The then-unidentified teenager was buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery until she exhumed in 2016 for further investigation. After the remains were re-examined, eventual isotope testing conducted in May 2019 suggested she spent time in the Southern, Eastern, and Southeastern parts of the country; this later turned out to be incorrect.
Genetic genealogical research conducted led to her identification in 2024. Brenneman had lived in York County, around 47 miles from where her remains were located in Lebanon County. She was last seen alive in the fall of 1973 when she left for school and did not return home. It is unclear whether she had attended the date of last contact, and further information about her life is being pursued by investigators.
Characteristics[]
- Long, light brown to strawberry blond hair.
- Described as having a high forehead.
- Strong, tilted chin.
- No obvious signs of previous bone-related injuries.
- Thin nose with a bridge tilting slightly left, while the tip points to the right.
Accessories[]
- A 48 in. by 32.5 in. piece of green plastic with a white seal reading "National Sanitation Foundation, Testing Laboratory 8505". Records indicate that no such laboratory ever existed.
Gallery[]
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