Luzerne Foundation partners with DA, PSP to fund cold case foundations
LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Nearly one month ago, state police solved a decades-old cold case in Luzerne County and raised money for DNA testing with the hopes of cracking more.
Now, authorities are joining forces with a local organization to push other cold case investigations in the county.
Police call her “Jane doe.” The remains of an unidentified female (pictured below) believed to be in her late teens/early 20’s, were discovered in November 2012, in the woods off Alden Mountain Road in Newport Township.
Investigators say she could have been there since the 1960s, and it’s likely her death was caused by foul play. But to this day, the search for answers continues.
In the hopes of putting a name to this face, and finding out who is responsible, authorities are turning to DNA testing.
But it’s not cheap, so, to help pay for it, the Luzerne Foundation has established a ‘Closing Cases’ fund in partnership with state police and the District Attorney’s Office.
“It’s really about supporting law enforcement and their investigative efforts here. Technology has changed these cases, they hit brick walls. But now with technology the way it is right now, you’re able to find these things and hopefully, these families get closure,” said David Pedri, President & CEO, the Luzerne Foundation.
The Crowdfunding Initiative is intended to help cover the cost of expensive but necessary DNA testing in cold case investigations. It can lead authorities to find a match in a database or from a missing person’s case in the hopes of bringing closure.
“Hopefully for these families who have suffered all of these years, not only a loss that they don’t know the answer to that we can identify someone, link them to their family, begin the process of closure and if a crime had been committed hopefully bring that person to justice,” said Luzerne County District Attorney, Sam Sanguedolce,
Members of the public could make a tax-deductible donation to the ‘Closing Cases’ fund via the Luzerne Foundation’s website or by mailing a check to the Luzerne Foundation at 34 South River Street, Wilkes-Barre.
If you have any questions on donations, please contact the Luzerne Foundation at 570-822-2065.
If you have any information on a cold case within Luzerne County, please contact the District Attorney’s office at 570-825-1674.