Found Deceased PA - Brenda Jacobs, 37, dismembered, Lycoming County, 29 Dec 2003 *Arrest in 2019*

[Al Ka]

Two human legs cut off near the knee were remains found in river at Williamsport in May

The human remains found along the Susquehanna River in Williamsport in May consisted of two legs cleanly cut near the knee joints by what’s believed to be a thin-blade, hand-held saw.
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The remains that included soft tissue were sent to a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst University in Erie to try to learn more about the individual, but a full report has not been received, he said.

It is not known if the individual was Caucasian or African-American, he said. It is estimated the death occurred up to six months before the legs were found, he said.
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State police entered DNA from the remains in NamUS in hopes it might match that of a missing person in its file.

Two human legs cut off near the knee were remains found in river at Williamsport in May

 

[Nell1212]

I live within this general area and haven't seen or heard any local media reporting this story. I will keep my eyes and ears open. There is no way I would've missed this on the local news!

Best local update I could find


Two human legs cut off near the knee were remains found in river at Williamsport in May

 

[Scribedskull]

It was her male roomate. Brandy lived just opposite that park. Definitely not connected to this case in PA.

Correct me if I am wrong but I can't find any article stating anyone was actually charged, just that the roommate and boyfriend were suspects. There may not be a connection here, obviously, but where does it say the roommate was actually arrested for the New York crime?

 

[Al Ka]

Correct me if I am wrong but I can't find any article stating anyone was actually charged, just that the roommate and boyfriend were suspects. There may not be a connection here, obviously, but where does it say the roommate was actually arrested for the New York crime?

What I wrote is only what I recall from my own memory of the case. Not sure if anyone was arrested or charged there (yet).

If you insinuating that it still Could be connected to PA case, well from my own observation NY state and especially NY City has one of the most amount of dismemberment cases out there.

Of course it Could be connected to PA, but in my personal humble opinion not likely at all.

 

[Scribedskull]

What I wrote is only what I recall from my own memory of the case. Not sure if anyone was arrested or charged there (yet).

If you insinuating that it still Could be connected to PA case, well from my own observation NY state and especially NY City has one of the most amount of dismemberment cases out there.

Of course it Could be connected to PA, but in my personal humble opinion not likely at all.

Oh. Not at all insinuating. Just mulling about is all. I'd be more inclined to look for a link between the ohio case and the PA one than the new york one. All three follow rt 80, convienantly, so easy access for truckers etc. Just thinking out loud is all. You are right though, the new york one most likely doesn't fit.

 

[Nell1212]

PennLive.com More information

 

[Bugurl747]

PennLive.com More information

Great find! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Al Ka]

Coroner Graham Hetrick: Case of sawed-off legs found in Susquehanna River is far from unsolvable

Veteran Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick is pretty sure about two things regarding the pair of severed human legs pulled from the Susquehanna River at Williamsport.

First, he said, DNA likely will be the key tool in identifying the victim.
And secondly, the killer or killers might have made a major error by tossing those limbs in the river, Hetrick said. The cold water, he said, would have preserved more evidence for investigators to go on.

Eerie as the severed leg case seems, it is not really a novelty for Hetrick, who has spent decades investigating deaths, both violent and otherwise.
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“We’ve handled dismemberment before,” Hetrick said during an interview Wednesday.

When it comes to human remains, he said a little can go a long way, given investigative experience and advances in technology.
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The submergence of the legs in the river might prove to be an advantage for investigators if the cool water slowed the decomposition of tissue, Hetrick said. “No doubt about it,” he said. “It may be that the biggest mistake the perpetrator made was throwing (the legs) in the river.”

A case that was eerily similar to the Williamsport discovery occurred almost 35 years earlier when a woman’s torso was found in a cardboard box along the Juniata River in Perry County. That woman, 31-year-old Edna Posey, was eventually identified from a birth mark and a surgical scar.

Coroner Graham Hetrick: Case of sawed-off legs found in Susquehanna River is far from unsolvable

 

[Nell1212]

:deleted:

 

[Nell1212]

Great find! Thanks for sharing.

I have the advantage of living within an hour of where the remains were found, I'll continue to post all of the updates and media coverage I come across.

 

[Bugurl747]

*Media is picking up on the story

HUMAN LEGS CUT OFF WITH HAND SAW DISCOVERED IN PENNSYLVANIA RIVER, POLICE SAY
6/20/2019
Lycoming County Coroner, Charles Kiessling Jr., told the local media outlet on Tuesday that the ethnicity of the victim had not yet been determined. He stated that the person's death had likely happened up to six months before the legs were found, but full analysis is ongoing.

State coroner Graham Hetrick told PennLove.com DNA could possibly be obtained from the remains. He said cold river water will help police because it may slow decomposition. "It may be that the biggest mistake the perpetrator made was throwing [the legs] in the river," he said.

According to WNEP-TV, an ABC-affiliated TV station in Pennsylvania, Kiessling said there had been no missing persons matching the description linked to the Williamsport area. Therefore, police are investigating if the human remains belong to a victim who died in another area. Last month, FOX 56 reported that officials had searched the river but found no other body parts.

 

[Bugurl747]

Sawed-off legs found in Susquehanna River: Picture shows victim’s sock as police seek identity

A forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst University in Erie is studying the remains and will provide a report, Kiessling said.

Lycoming County Coroner Chuck Kiessling rubs the bridge of his nose as he takes a phone call on his smart watch, in his office in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said the legs had on Ralph Lauren socks, white with red, white and blue flags on them.
Photo Link

 

[RememberingRyan]

I don't know why, but when I saw this I thought of the pile of sliced up clothes found in Fair Lawn, NJ: NJ - NJ - Fair Lawn, Mysterious pile of sliced-up women’s clothes found in woods, Mar 2019

Likely triggered a correlation for you because the socks on the legs in PA are Ralph Lauren, and so was the shirt from NJ.

 

[Nell1212]

PennLive.com

It's happened again.

This is a NEW article about ANOTHER severed leg found in PA.

 

[Nell1212]

Sawed-off legs found along Susquehanna belong to adult woman: here’s what else we know

 

[Justsayn]

My parents, live in Cogan station, tried explaining the toe nail polish did not mean female. He was puzzled.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Brenda Jacobs was 37 when she disappeared, and was between 5 feet, 1 inch and 5 feet, 3-inches tall, and 115 to 125 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Jacobs was last heard from on Dec. 29, 2003, and was living in the Williamsport City/Montoursville borough area in Lycoming County. She left behind two children.

Help find them: 13 cold cases of people who went missing in Pa. - lehighvalleylive.com

 

[Gardener1850]

WILLIAMSPORT — The investigation into the legs found in May along the Susquehanna River in Williamsport remains active but tips have stopped state police say.

Every bit of information received since the legs were found May 11 has been pursued but the person’s identity remains a mystery, Cpl. Joseph Akers said Friday.

DNA taken from the bones has been sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth that manages the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

It could take up to a year to obtain a DNA profile that is needed to determine if there is a match in the NamUS database, Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said.

Although the NamUS file lists the case as a homicide, Kiessling said he cannot make that classification without the rest of the body.

Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst University, determined by studying the bones the legs belonged to an adult white female approximately 5 to 5 feet 6 inches in height.

Investigation into legs found along river still is active although tips have stopped

 

[b741ma]

NamUs added something new.

Other distinctive physical characteristic: Based off a Forensic Anthropological Analysis, the victim is believed to be a Caucasian female, and between the heights of 4'11" - 5'7". The victim is believed to be 18+ years of age or older. That should help narrow it down.

 

[PayrollNerd]

WILLIAMSPORT — The investigation into the legs found in May along the Susquehanna River in Williamsport remains active but tips have stopped state police say.

Every bit of information received since the legs were found May 11 has been pursued but the person’s identity remains a mystery, Cpl. Joseph Akers said Friday.

DNA taken from the bones has been sent to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth that manages the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

It could take up to a year to obtain a DNA profile that is needed to determine if there is a match in the NamUS database, Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said.

Although the NamUS file lists the case as a homicide, Kiessling said he cannot make that classification without the rest of the body.

Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst University, determined by studying the bones the legs belonged to an adult white female approximately 5 to 5 feet 6 inches in height.

Investigation into legs found along river still is active although tips have stopped

“...The mummified remains were cleanly cut near the knee joints by what police believe to be a thin-blade, hand-held saw.”

Definition: A mummy is a deceased human or an animal whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay further if kept in cool and dry conditions.

This begs the question, was she preserved in a freezer for a period of time just prior to being in the water? That could mean the body is from many years ago rather than more recent. They’re looking for a short Caucasian adult female. The athletic style socks make me think she was an active person. When’s the last known production of that style of Ralph Lauren socks? These are summer socks, not winter socks.