Photo: Pennsylvania State Police
After nearly 60 years, authorities have solved the murder of a 9-year-old Hazleton, Pennsylvania girl.
On March 18, 1964, Marise Chiverella’s body was found in a stripping hole used for reserve near the Hazleton Municipal Airport, said Pennsylvania State Police in a news release. Police have finally identified her killer after decades of working to solve the cold case.
According toCNN, during a press conference Thursday police identified James Paul Forte, who died in 1980, as the killer through DNA and genealogy tracking.
“Pennsylvania State Police was founded in 1905, so over half of our existence we’ve investigated this case,” said PSP Lieutenant Devon Brutosky per CNN.
“The investigation revealed that Marise was physically and sexually assaulted, murdered, and left in the stripping hole with all her clothing and personal items,” said police in the news release.
Pennsylvania State Police
The case went cold until 2007 when the state was able to build a DNA profile of the killer based off fluid left on the victim’s jacket, CNN added.
“This investigation has been reviewed annually and since 2007, the killer’s DNA profile has been checked monthly against all new entries into DNA data bases. Through investigation, a suspect was developed and identified as the assailant of this brutal crime, solving the 57-year-old case,” said police innews releaseahead of Thursday’s press conference.
After the DNA was uploaded to genealogical databaseGED Matchin 2019, police received a genealogical match that happened to be a distant relative of Chiverella, Brutosky said per CNN.
In 2020, police received help on the case from genealogist Eric Schubert.
“Mr. Schubert began genealogical work on the family tree of our match and very shortly we were provided names of relatives who were scattered throughout the country,” said police in the news release. “We were fortunate enough to have most of the related family cooperate and provide us their DNA samples.”
Forte, who is believed to possibly be a sixth cousin of Chiverella, was 22 at the time the murder took place, CNN added.
“Our family now knows the identity of her murderer,” said Carmen Marie Radtke, Marise’s sister per CNN. “Justice has been served today.”
source: people.com
