PA PA - Lydia Hemperly, 84, SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP, bound/gagged/murdered, 22 Oct. 1974

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44-year-old cold case still unsolved

"SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police in Dauphin County are asking for your help in solving a cold case that happened 44 years ago this week. An 84-year-old woman was murdered inside her home in Susquehanna Township. To this day, no one knows who did it."

"Hemperly was found bound, gagged, and left to die on October 22nd, 1974. Since she was born in the 1800's, finding any information about her personal life has been more than challenging. Investigators learned Hemperly lived alone at a home on Mountainview Road. Police have aerial shots of her house from back in the 70's before route 322 was built.

People who knew her say she was a sweet person and a great neighbor. She loved to grab a drink at the Harrisburg VFW Auxillary and hang out with friends. Police said they have a gut feeling somebody alive today knows something."

 

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Police determined to solve 44-year-old homicide case
"Lydia demands, I know this, someone to be accountable for what they did to her. That's why we continue to investigate this," Captain Jeffery Vargo said"
"She loved to be around people. She was a very people-oriented person. If you could have a good time, you would find Aunt Lydia in the middle of it," said Shirley Stricker, Hemperly's niece".

Police are asking for anyone with information concerning this incident to contact the Susquehanna Township Police Department at 717-652-8265.

 

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Jan 15 2021 rbbm.
Susquehanna Township Police form Cold Case Homicide Task Force | ABC27
''HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The Susquehanna Township Police have formed a Cold Case Homicide Task Force.
The task force will focus on five specific Susquehanna Township cold case homicides dating back as far as 1974.
In a press release, the task force writes “We will never give up on identifying those responsible for these murders and bringing closure to the families of the victims.”
The Task Force will investigate the following criminal homicides:

• The killing of Lydia Hemperly on Mountainview Road in October of 1974.
• The killing of Ramon Yentzer in the parking lot of the Scottsdale Apartments in March of 1978.
• The ultimately fatal shooting of Lieutenant Robert McCallister during a bank robbery on Nationwide Drive in February of 1981.
• The murder of James Douglas Kelbaugh on Blue Mountain in May of 1986.
• The murder of Dawn Stanback, who was found along the Susquehanna River in September 2001.

We urge anyone who has information about any of these homicides to contact the Susquehanna Township Police Department at (717) 652-8265 or email Detective Scott Meier at smeier@susquehannatwp.com.''

 

[Fede]

Here is an article from the time of the murder
Death of Lydia Hemperly - Newspapers.com

 

[dotr]

Here is an article from the time of the murder
Death of Lydia Hemperly - Newspapers.com

Very brutal murder especially considering the victim's age- she was blindfolded and strangled, almost like a personal attack where the perp cannot bear for Ms. Hemperly to see who he or she is killing. imo, speculation.
From link..

 

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'We haven't given up:' Cold Case PA
•Mar 5, 2021
''In Susquehanna Township, police recently launched a task force to solve all of the township's unsolved killings dating back to 1974. The five cases have left family and friends of the victims with questions for decades, but Public Safety Director Rob Martin says police never forgot.''