A Tragedy In Marple: Author Reflects On Hometown Case

For almost 50 years, the community of Marple Township, Pennsylvania was haunted by the horrific murder of a young local girl. In 1975, 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington disappeared and was later found murdered in a nearby state park. Gretchen's case went cold, and for decades, her family went without answers. However, on July 24th, 2023, retired pastor David Zandstra was arrested for her murder.

Editor-in-Chief of the Baltimore Business Journal Joanna Sullivan grew up in Marple Township and was only 9 years old when Gretchen was killed. With her childhood friend, Mike Mathis, she co-authored a book about the case, titled, 

Marple’s Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia. She provides her reaction to this tragic case and reflects on the investigative work she conducted when writing the book.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno

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