Deceased/Not Found PA - Karen, 11, & Michael Reinert, 10, Ardmore, 22 June 1979 *W. Bradfield guilty*

[websurfer]

The Charley Project page for 11 year-old Karen
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/reinert_karen.html

And her 10 year-old brother Michael
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/reinert_michael.html

I first became interested in this case upon viewing the entry for the children on the Pennsylvania Missing website. The site features the same pic of an unidentified standing stone as that featured on the childrens' Charley Project pages. Being an avid hiker, the pic caught my attention, and upon looking further into the case found it to be truly fascinating. Books have been written about this case by Joseph Wambaugh and Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, and a TV movie was produced in the late '80s. The following is from Crime Library and various articles from newpapers of the time.

Susan Reinert was a school teacher, whose husband Ken was in the Air Force. After the birth of their two children, Susan quit teaching until Ken left the Air Force in '71. At that time, she returned to teaching.
Around '74, Susan began to feel trapped in her life, and began an affair with another teacher, William Bradfield. Bradfield was considered a lady's man, especially because it was felt he was interested in women's minds as much as their bodies. Bradfield was already living with another teacher, Sue Myers, and had a girlfriend in another state (Joanne Aitken). Bradfield was also dating a student, Wendy Zeigler. Susan divorced her husband, but Bradfield always maintained that there was no relationship-Susan was pursuing him.

The principal of the school where the two taught was an "interesting" character. Jay Smith, lean, balding, with a dry sense of humor, always dressed in black suits. His wife was just the opposite. Smith's daughter, Stephanie, and her husband Eddie, were heroin addicts. Smith, a Colonel in the US Army Reserve, had "exotic" sexual tastes, collecting different types of *advertiser censored* but specializing in bestiality. Susan once brought her children to school, at which time Smith stated "I don't like any children". By '76-'77, Smith's work quality had begun to detoriate.
In December of '77, two Sears stores were robbed by an individual posing as a courier who made off with the day's earnings.
In February of '78, Stephanie and Eddie disappeared.
In August of '78, police stopped a car being driven erratically. The driver had a gun in hand when the officers approached. The driver was identified as Jay Smith. Four handguns, a hooded mask, bolt cutters, and a syringe loaded with tranquilizer were found in the car. Also found were marijuana, various pills, four gallons of nitric acid, security uniforms, stolen Army ID cards, pistol silencers, and several forms of bestial *advertiser censored*.

William Bradfield told friends he had had a dream in which he recalled meeting Smith in Ocean City, MD, on the day of the Sears robberies. However, even though he knew that Smith had not committed the robberies, Smith was in fact a hitman for the Mafia and planned to murder Susan Reinert. Bradfield told his friends that he was driving by Susan's house regularly in order to protect her from Smith (even though he had agreed to testify in Smith's defense in the robbery trial).
In January of '79 Susan tried to withdraw $25,000 dollars for an "investment", but the bank refused to allow the withdrawal. Instead, she withdrew the money in increments. Soon after, Bradfield told friends that he had collected $25,000 that he had saved over the years. By June of '79, Susan had taken out over $700,000 in life insurance, removing her children as beneficiaries and naming Bradfield the sole beneficiary.
On the evening of June 22, 1979, neighbors saw Susan and the children hurry to her car after receiving a phone call around 9:20. This is the last time Susan was seen alive, and the children have never been seen again. Susan was beaten viciously, stripped naked, chained, and may have been dragged a short distance. Susan was kept alive for 24 to 36 hours, finally being killed with an injection of morphine on Sunday morning. She was left in the trunk of her car in a Harrisburg hotel. A "Spanish-sounding" voice called police to report a woman was sick in her car. The tape of the voice was accidentally taped over. Susan's body was cremated before the investigators were finished with it.
Bradfield and friends fled to southern New Jersey then to New Mexico.
Bradfield was first prosecuted for theft by deception for the investment scheme. He was then prosecuted for the murders of Susan, Karen and Michael in October of '83. He later died in prison of a heart attack in 1998.
Smith was convicted of his part in the murder in June of '85. Though sentenced to death, his conviction was overturned in '92 due to "prosecutorial misconduct". His lawyer was also able to convince the Supreme Court to change the double jeapordy laws, preventing the prosecution from retrying Smith due to the alleged misconduct.

The photo of the standing stone was found in Bradfield's belongings around the time of his conviction. It is thought to mark the location of the childrens' bodies. One chilling thing I've noted is this testimony by a prisoner Bradfield had befriended. The prisoner testified that Bradfield had stated Susan and the kids were killed because he (Bradfield) was in a financial bind, but it was only meant for Susan, not the kids---but he could "leave no stone unturned".
I am writing Backpacker Magazine about the stone, hoping they will post the pic and that someone will recognize its unique features. I have also spoken to friends in the GeoCaching community.

Maybe their DNA could be enetered into a database for DNA?

 

[medisalle]

Answer # 1: the acid found in Smith's car was Nitric Acid.
Answer # 2: the reason (most commonly thought) that Smith/Bradfield would NOT have destroyed Susan Reinert's body is because you cannot collect on an insurance policy without a body. Hence: the kids had no value. Susan was worth " $7,000.00 a pound " (excerpted from trial transcripts). The kids unfortunately were just 'there'.

And just a thought: it does no good to the investigation to interject wild theories or 'visions' of things perhaps seen, unless there's concrete evidence of the same. To do such things muddies what waters, and in the end: we all want justice for this family - not bragging rights on whom saw "Mary's face in the pancakes" first. Just my opinion.

Keep researching the stone - SOMEone's got to know where it is!

 

[nodnarb481]

Has there been anymore insight into this case in the last year or so? I have been reading this case up and down. I live in the area and know some of the people who are part of this wild story so it really drew me in to learn more. I have been piecing together lots of different theories about this case as I believe the Judicial system really screwed this one up once Joseph Wambaugh paid somewhere around $50,000 to make sure Jay Smith was convicted. I would love to set out and try to find these kids and i feel the necessary steps are to first figure out what happened and who may have been involved.

I feel there definitely had to have been a third party. Some kind of evil person (or even people) hired to help carry this out. My reason for this comes in the form of the following questions I have not been able to answer.
1. If Susan was found in HER car in Harrisburg (as stated by Smith and his lawyers, to frame him) then he would have had to driven it. How did Smith get to his court hearing for the robbery charges? If he drove then there is no way he could have driven her car as well.
2. With this theory in place that would leave Bradfield and his accomplices. Which would have been who? I don't believe 1 man could have taken care of 3 people at once AND drive a body to Harrisburg when he was apparently in Cape May the whole time. So who did drive that car?
3. Finally, Joanne Aitken. She was difficult in court, was in Philadelphia the weekend of the Murders, and drove Bradfield's car to Santa Fe while he rode in a plain there which i find a bit odd. I feel like she had to know something.

Just some food for thought, I would love to keep this discussion going and crack this one open because despite the fact that the alleged murderers are both dead now, I feel this case is still wide open.

 

[J. J. in Phila]

Well, Smith seems like an odd character. The interest in *advertiser censored*, sadism, and obviously murder would point to him being of interest. This crime seems like a more sophisticated attempt at concealment so it's possible that in the 10 years since the Aardsma murder he had become more adept at trickery, rather than just blitzing attacks.

However, everything I've read since I posted that, indicates that he went to Temple for his PhD, and that he was a principal at the school for 12 years prior to the murder, which means he was there since 1967.

Bradfield appears too old having looked further, to be the Aardsma suspect. Couldn't find much more about him except that he died which makes it impossible to verify anyway.

Neither one showed up in the alumni check. A bit late, I know.

 

[nola]

Watching the TruTV Murder by the Book episode about the Susan Reinert Case; The Main Line Murders. Here is the link to truTV's story.http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/mainline_murders/1.html

 

[GbreadMan]

For the past two years I've researched the material that's available online, including Google satellite to view the surrounding geography. However, I am also a fan of native plants, and the leaves on the ground and the shrubs in the understory may assist in finding the location.

The leaves on the ground are probably northern red oak, quercus rubra. Pin oak is very closely related (and more common to the pine barrens), but I would say the lobes are not sharp enough for pin oak. There are also more points to each lobe, implying northern red oak. While pine-barren soil is acidic, northern red oak is uncommon in that region due to its propensity for higher terrain similar to that in southeast Pa.

It would take red oak decades if not a century or two of undisturbed growth in order to establish itself. Therefore this is an area which does not see much in the way of forest clearcuts for farming or industry, implying an established, "old gentry" area, or a well-established park or campus.

The shrub is difficult to identify (simple-leaf shrubs are a dime a dozen), but it looks like a type of invasive amur honeysuckle which would be found in an acidic, semi-suburban, upland location such as around southeast Pa, where invasive plants have become commonplace. They were also used as hedges for several decades until they were declared an invasive species.

The amur honeysuckle is leafed out, meaning this picture was taken in warm weather...yet there are no flowers or fruit. This implies the picture was taken in summertime, after the flowers fell off the tree in late spring, but before fruit was set in early fall/September. This gives a time window of June through August.

The picture also has metallic debris in front of the stone...some sort of rusty metal chair in the foreground. This may indicate a dumping site or location where people such as children frequently "hang out" (urban or suburban woodlands). The chair could've been a part of an old go-cart, or some sort of industrial widget.

My theory has been that Smith dumped the children in Valley Forge; I had suspected this before reading the book, but toward the end of the book he mentioned that he wanted it to be called the "Valley Forge murders", not the Main Line murders which was the name the media started propagating.

Valley Forge would also pose a problem for a state murder investigation; how do you inspect several hundred acres of federally protected land with potentially thousands of unmarked graves of colonial soldiers? Ground-penetrating radar did not exist. A secluded, upland woody spot in Valley Forge was the perfect place to dump a couple more bodies in an area full of them. Smith could then sit back and laugh while the feds and staties fought for years over bureaucracy and search warrants. A road map of Valley Forge from 1979 may help locate locations the car could be parked, and the bodies discreetly carried and dumped.

The ash caught in the rear section of the car bumper may also be significant. The northern end of valley forge was at one time an industrial site, and would have contained old ash pits scattered around the property. If ash samples from the car still exist, their composition could be cross-referenced with those still on the property.

I do not live around the area, and have not had a chance to drive down and look around. However, if their bodies are still around, they would be located in a secluded section of park or back-woods, relatively uphill about 10-15 feet or higher in elevation from water sources. An upland, semi-suburban protected area such as a federal park would also keep large scavengers away from digging up the bodies. I hope someone can use this insight to find something helpful.

Dan

 

[Deeds]

Unknown Boy, shown bound and gagged in photo

Submitted Unknown Boy, shown bound and gagged in photo-Taj Narbonne? - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Johnny Gosch website under UNKNOWN BOY..

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Photos of bound/gagged unident. boys surface

 

[strawberry]

I thought of this case today. I went to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philly. We got a pin for the Butterfly Room and it was like the Philadelpia Pin Karen had. This story tugs at me. I read the book and am from the area. So so sad.

 

[nodnarb481]

For the past two years I've researched the material that's available online, including Google satellite to view the surrounding geography. However, I am also a fan of native plants, and the leaves on the ground and the shrubs in the understory may assist in finding the location.

The leaves on the ground are probably northern red oak, quercus rubra. Pin oak is very closely related (and more common to the pine barrens), but I would say the lobes are not sharp enough for pin oak. There are also more points to each lobe, implying northern red oak. While pine-barren soil is acidic, northern red oak is uncommon in that region due to its propensity for higher terrain similar to that in southeast Pa.

It would take red oak decades if not a century or two of undisturbed growth in order to establish itself. Therefore this is an area which does not see much in the way of forest clearcuts for farming or industry, implying an established, "old gentry" area, or a well-established park or campus.

The shrub is difficult to identify (simple-leaf shrubs are a dime a dozen), but it looks like a type of invasive amur honeysuckle which would be found in an acidic, semi-suburban, upland location such as around southeast Pa, where invasive plants have become commonplace. They were also used as hedges for several decades until they were declared an invasive species.

The amur honeysuckle is leafed out, meaning this picture was taken in warm weather...yet there are no flowers or fruit. This implies the picture was taken in summertime, after the flowers fell off the tree in late spring, but before fruit was set in early fall/September. This gives a time window of June through August.

The picture also has metallic debris in front of the stone...some sort of rusty metal chair in the foreground. This may indicate a dumping site or location where people such as children frequently "hang out" (urban or suburban woodlands). The chair could've been a part of an old go-cart, or some sort of industrial widget.

My theory has been that Smith dumped the children in Valley Forge; I had suspected this before reading the book, but toward the end of the book he mentioned that he wanted it to be called the "Valley Forge murders", not the Main Line murders which was the name the media started propagating.

Valley Forge would also pose a problem for a state murder investigation; how do you inspect several hundred acres of federally protected land with potentially thousands of unmarked graves of colonial soldiers? Ground-penetrating radar did not exist. A secluded, upland woody spot in Valley Forge was the perfect place to dump a couple more bodies in an area full of them. Smith could then sit back and laugh while the feds and staties fought for years over bureaucracy and search warrants. A road map of Valley Forge from 1979 may help locate locations the car could be parked, and the bodies discreetly carried and dumped.

The ash caught in the rear section of the car bumper may also be significant. The northern end of valley forge was at one time an industrial site, and would have contained old ash pits scattered around the property. If ash samples from the car still exist, their composition could be cross-referenced with those still on the property.

I do not live around the area, and have not had a chance to drive down and look around. However, if their bodies are still around, they would be located in a secluded section of park or back-woods, relatively uphill about 10-15 feet or higher in elevation from water sources. An upland, semi-suburban protected area such as a federal park would also keep large scavengers away from digging up the bodies. I hope someone can use this insight to find something helpful.

Dan

THANK YOU! for this incredibly insightful post. I disagree with Smith being the murderer. Through my research I have had an overwhelming feeling that he was framed in all of this. But being that both him and bradfield are dead now, I guess it doesn't make much difference as far as solving the case of the the missing kids goes.

However, Your post is DIRECTLY in line with my thought process. Valley forge has always made sense to me. More specifically, Wayne's Woods. This is a section of Valley forge that is UPHILL like you said, very heavily wooded, and very undisturbed.

Now get this: This section of the park is closed off. Completely undisturbed with a fence around it and no trespassing signs. Why? Because it is a site of buried soldiers. At one corner of the woods you can see a sign that reads "Burial site of unknown soldiers." The unknown soldiers grave sites are marked by upright stones. Exactly like in the picture. It seems like its almost too easy to not be cracked at this point. A secluded part of a national park that is filled with grave sites marked by up right stones? No-brainer. I do not have knowledge on when that part of the park was officially fenced off but combining your speculations with mine, I have an OVERWHELMING urge to go investigate myself.

Lets keep this thread alive.

 

[Fin]

Neither Michael nor Karen are listed as MP on Namus.

 

[vallejo_dave]

Thank You Gbreadman for your excellent post. The children were last seen entering the hatchback on Friday night in Ardmore. The car was then found on Sunday in Harrisburg, with Susan's body in it. Somewhere in the books I read that either Bill Bradfield or Jay Smith were quoted as saying " the kids could easily have been gotten rid of-take them to the woods down by Fayetteville." Ardmore is on the Mainline, and route 30 can be taken from there all the way to Chambersburg, where it intersects I-81. (passing thru Michieux State Forest and Caledonia State park, and the town of Fayetteville). Turn right on I-81 (N), you will come to the Fayette St exit for Shippensburg. Getting off here, the first side road to the right is "Woods Road". I believe the children could be buried in this general area. The vegetation is very similar to the photo, and Carlisle/Harrisburg is a quick trip up 81 north. Plus, there are roads paralleling I-81 that would make it convenient for someone looking for a burial site.

Red oak and honeysuckle are prevalent here, as it is on the west slope of South Mountain. On the east side, you have more rhododendron and pines. Many small streams flow here and the elevation gradually rises up the slopes of South Mountain. It is a big hiking area, and is dotted with many amish farms. Micheaux Forest also borders this side. I feel that if the area were leafletted with photos of the stone, someone might recognize it. Many people on foot and riding in buggies. I have seen a few likely spots myself.

As you know, Jay Smith was a Colonel in the Reserves in Carlisle. IMO, he would have been familiar enough with this area to direct someone here with the children. I hope we can find the site.

 

[vallejo_dave]

I would like to say that after reading all the material, I believe it is a very good possibility that the children are buried in one of 2 areas:

either along the East side of I-81 North between the Scotland and Newville exits, or along Route 30 West in Michieux State Forest or Caledonia State Park near Fayetteville.

Both areas have easy back access to the Host Inn area of Harrisburg. Take Route 30 East to I-83 North near Lancaster, or take I-81 North to Carlisle and access I-283 and I-83. I would appreciate any feedback on this. There are other state parks, and a few religious retreats in this area. (Pine Grove Furnace, Mt Alto, etc).

 

[vallejo_dave]

Another possibility---Rt 11 south out of Carlisle goes to intersection of rt 233 near Newville. Take rt 233 east and you will see signs for Pine Grove and Caledonia (which is adjacent to Fayetteville). You will also pass a place called Mt Asbury Retreat. There may be some stone markers there similar to the one in question.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I have been spending a quiet afternoon reading through this thread. I can't imagine why I haven't read about this tragic case before.

I live in SW Pa and plan to do a good amount of camping throughout Pa in the next couple of months. I will definitely carry a picure of the stone marker (or whatever it is) with me in case I see something that looks similar.

Now I'm off to search news archives to read up more about this case.

 

[hayaletcatcher]

While skimming around the internet i saw an article posted today about this case. Nothing new and very short, the children are barely mentioned, but good to know it is still getting out there.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/05/notorious_murder_susan_reinert.html

Some great information in this thread!

 

[forthelost]

Neither Michael nor Karen are listed as MP on Namus.

No longer the case; I entered them today. I didn't have birthdates, heights, or weights and didn't know Michael's eye color. Anyone who knows this information please say so.

 

[Roselvr]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3259dmpa.html

Circumstances of Disappearance
Reinert was last seen at approximately 9:20 p.m. leaving his home with his sister, Karen, and their mother, Susan, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania on June 22, 1979.
Three days later, on June 25, 1979 Susan's nude body was found in the trunk of her own car, which was parked in the parking lot of the Host Inn in Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. She had been beaten and bound with a chain, then killed with an injection of morphine 24 to 36 hours after the beating. There was no sign of Michael or Karen at the scene and an extensive search turned up no signs of either of them. Various tips came in about the wherabouts of the children. One tip claimed the children were with an ex-con in Denver, Colorado. Authorities discovered a photograph of what appears to be a grave, and are trying to identify the location of where it was taken; they believe the children may be buried there.
Sand samples taken from Susan's feet suggest her murder could have taken place at the New Jersey shore. The weekend Susan was killed one of the men convicted of her murder was known to have gone to Cape May, New Jersey.
Two men were convicted of the murders of the Reinert family. One of the men died in prison; the other was released when his conviction was overturned because of alledgedly concealed evidence by the prosecution.


The Photo
check this link out
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=231&=7

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=231

I found these pictures of old mile markers in the Pine Barrens

An article from the New York Times about mile markers
http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=231&=11

I think it is really unfair these children met this awful fate. I know there must be people left that know where they are.
All the gossip at the School. They should have had a general idea.
It's situations like this that people will never go to Heaven. No matter how hard you pray for mercy.

My 1st thought was her husband had a hand in something too
Pine Barrens was also my thought when I saw the pic

Quercus rubra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia grows in NJ too

No longer the case; I entered them today. I didn't have birthdates, heights, or weights and didn't know Michael's eye color. Anyone who knows this information please say so.

I did a last name search; zero matchesare also in NJ according to wiki.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I would like to say that after reading all the material, I believe it is a very good possibility that the children are buried in one of 2 areas:

either along the East side of I-81 North between the Scotland and Newville exits, or along Route 30 West in Michieux State Forest or Caledonia State Park near Fayetteville.

Both areas have easy back access to the Host Inn area of Harrisburg. Take Route 30 East to I-83 North near Lancaster, or take I-81 North to Carlisle and access I-283 and I-83. I would appreciate any feedback on this. There are other state parks, and a few religious retreats in this area. (Pine Grove Furnace, Mt Alto, etc).

The problem is there is so much country out there...

I was thinking of them this morning. I don't know why. After watching a crime show it triggered a memory as since I am local to philly it was big news.

I don't see how these children were never found. Acid or not.. This was not a master mind..

It would be so nice to find them and have them laid to rest by people who love them.

 

[Jmoose]

Anybody think that the kids were killed while Susan Reinert was still alive? It just occurred to me that this might be the case-I always assumed they were killed after their mother was murdered and disposed of. For some reason, when I read again how she (Susan) was found, I thought that she was beaten and chained because she resisted as she watched as her children were murdered. May not make any difference in finding the children's final resting spot, but maybe they disposed of them first, and then Susan after. I do think Valley Forge is an interesting possibility.

 

[Julespa]

Valley forge is a possibility. I grew up just outside valley forge and used to hang out in the park all the time. As a teenager I ignored the no trespassing signs and often stumbled into areas not usually visited. I still remember the day I found where they dump all the deer that were hit in the park. The smell was awful. If they are thinking the area is in a steep area it would most likely be along route 252 around what many locals call Mt. No Hope. There really isn't a lot of heavily wooded areas except for along the river and railroad tracks