PA PA - Rebecca Triska, 15, Ambridge, 19 Sept 1958

That link states that the man suspected of killing Rebecca had a criminal past, but does not elaborate on what he was charged with.

The DN extract quoted above mentions him being parolled for a "morals" charge. I would be very surprised if that was not a sex offence. Reading between the lines it suggests it was a charge of corrupting a minor, so it looks as though he escalated from seduction to murder. I would guess there's at least one rape offence between those known two offences.
 
I let my Ancestry subscription lapse, but was wondering if anyone has looked Senk up to see if he even had any nieces?

Without a subscription I couldn't locate him on the census, but I think there were a couple yearbook photos of him that I couldn't view. He should have been born about 1933.

Also I found there was another suspect, a guy named Edward Seager. He apparently was mentally ill and told LE that he had killed a girl and buried her in a mine, then he recanted and said "If a girl is found in the mines, I killed her. I just don't know if I killed a girl." (May not be quoted exactly word for word). He apparently was released from prison on the very day Rebecca went missing. Don't know if he was ever ruled out as a suspect.

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88937904/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/14299656/
 
A recent cold case video looking back on Rebecca's case. Interviews w/ detective, family and her friend.

They also say Senk was the knife salesman Rebecca's friend referred to who visited their house before she was kidnapped. FBI has not yet tested the hair samples found in Senk's car.

http://www.timesonline.com/coldcase/triska/
 
Bumping.

I wonder if they will be able to test the hair samples found in the car soon.
 
She has been missing almost 60 years.
I find the alibi weak as well. Why would they accept such a weak alibi, especially from someone close to them? Anyone can make up that someone was with them! I wonder what he says to get them into his car?
Did they ever test the hair? And look into if he actually had nieces?
 
60 years missing...

RATriska.jpg
RATriska1.jpg


Name: Rebecca Ann Triska
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: September 19, 1958
Location Last Seen: Ambridge, Beaver County, Pennsylvania

Physical Description
Date of Birth: circa 1943
Age: 15 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Hair Color: Red/Auburn
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname/Alias: Becky
Distinguishing Marks/Features: freckles

Identifiers
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Green cashmere sweater; black velvet slacks
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Black suede tie shoes

Circumstances of Disappearance
Circumstances of Disappearance Triska was last seen around 23:45 in a car with an unidentified older male at the Route 88 Drive-In Restaurant in Harmony Township, just north of Ambridge, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1958. She never made it home.

She had gone to a teen dance in Ambridge with friends. Becky left the dance at about 23:30. Two boys who happened to leave the dance around the same time spoke to Becky in front of the theater. She was alone, but an older man, they estimated around 35, was standing in the area and offered to give Becky a ride home. The boys commented that the man was too old to give Becky a ride and, they said, he walked away.

Police arrested an Ambridge man when they learned that the car Becky was last seen in closely resembled his car. At the time, he was a parolee on a Florida morals charge. He denied knowing Becky, but refused to take a lie detector test. He was held on suspicion of a felony, while his car was sent to the Allegheny County Crime Lab. Investigators found some blood stains and strands of red hair in the car. An attempt was made to match the hair samples from the car against hair taken from Becky's hairbrush, but without the tools available today, it was never definitively proved that the hairs were Becky's. He stated that he had three nieces with red hair and the blood was his. Additionally, he had an alibi. Police learned the identity of the girl that he had a date with on the night Becky disappeared. The girl told police that they had attended a football game in Alliquippa and had parted company between 23:30 and 23:45 that night. With no body and not enough evidence, he was released. He was never charged for Becky's murder.

In 1962, this same man was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1961 beating death of 13-year old Jane Benfield of Centralia, Columbia County. His death sentence was later commuted to life. He died in prison of cancer in the '90s.

Rebecca Ann Triska was declared dead in 1967. Her date of death was recorded as September 19, 1965, seven years after she was last seen. Her body has never been found.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Beaver County Detective Bureau
Agency Contact Person: Detective Andrew Gall
Agency Phone Number: (724) 773-8574
Agency E-Mail: agall@beavercountypa.gov
Agency Case Number: 2011001061



Agency Name: Beaver County Detective Bureau
Agency Contact Person: Detective Timothy Staub
Agency Phone Number: 724-773-8850
Agency E-Mail: tstaub@beavercountypa.gov
Agency Case Number: 58-0919/1-D-3-281



NCIC Case Number: 1148853
NamUs Case Number: 4608
 
Still no word on testing the hair. :(

I know I sound like a broken record, but it's been years since they said they were going to test it.
 
I read an interview with a law enforcement officer a while back in which he dissed working on cold cases. I don't recall who or where, but the interview was related to funding for police work, etc. It could be some local PD's just don't want to spend money on testing evidence from old cases. I disagree, but wanted to suggest cold case advocates consider getting the federal government to fund qualified citizens to do the work, give them access to files and evidence.

Just a thought. We see so many cases here like Rebecca's where the evidence is still there (we hope) waiting to be tested, but no action.
 
I hope that one day the truth will be known, the main suspect a pedophile psychopath has already died but he never paid for his crime. That Becky was in that dirty psychopath's car.
Rest in peace becky
 
Rebecca Triska missing sixty-three years
September 19, 2021

Today is the sixty-third anniversary of the disappearance of Rebecca Ann Triska. She was last seen in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

rt.jpg

Above is a picture of Rebecca. If you can, please go to the link (provided here: For the Lost Blog » Rebecca Triska missing sixty-three years) and print out her poster.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Beaver County Detective Bureau
724-773-8576


Sponsored by For the Lost – California Kids program

www.ForTheLost.org
 
Does anyone think that Rebecca could be Little Miss X, also from 1958?
Original
rebecca_ann_triska_1.jpg

Trust me, I know that she was found 30 hours away. I know. I still think it's possible however. Little Miss X had a nail file found near her with P+R on it. If we know someone special is Rebecca's life where their name begins with a P or even a B then we might have a good match. Sadly they lost Little Miss X's body so we have no DNA to test against Rebecca's. Let me know what you think but I assume many people will discount it on location.
 
So... Did they eventually lost these samples or just waited 60 years to check and realize that he didn't have one niece, not to mention three?
 

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