On 22 March 1979, Helen E. Horn, a widow, returned home from an evening meeting of the Gratz Historical Society. Within minutes of entering her house, she was on her dining room floor – naked and dead in a pool of blood. Although someone was charged with her murder, at trial, he was acquitted. The crime was never solved.
This post is one of 19 chronicling the discovery of the body, the arrest and trial of the suspect, and his acquittal. The story is told through articles that appeared in a Pottsville newspaper.
From the Pottsville Republican, 27 March 1979:
Intense murder investigation continues
GRATZ – Police are “working everyday and every night” on their investigation of the murder of Helen E. Horn, 68, of 343 Market Street.
Mrs. Horn, a widow living alone, was brutally murdered Thursday night after she came home from a historical society meeting in her neighborhood.
Her body was found Friday about 7:30 a.m. by her cleaning lady, Mary Hepler, of Gratz. Doctor Edward Lentz declared the woman dead at the scene.
“We have no real hot clues as yet,” said Sgt. VanNort, of state police at Harrisburg, Troop H, which is handling the investigation.
He said police have determined that Mrs. Horn came straight home from the historical society meeting, but have not determined whether the murderer was in her home when she arrived between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
Mrs. Horn, treasurer of the historical group, had about $90, which the group had collected for an upcoming trip, with her Thursday night, Sgt. VanNort said police found two pocketbooks in her home, and sent them for a laboratory investigation. They do not know if the money was stolen.
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For all other parts of this story, see: Who Killed Helen Horn?
News clipping/article from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.