Girl finally found after 25 years? Bones found in '88 - PA
Girl finally found after 25 years? By BEN FINLEY The Intelligencer A pending DNA test could identify whether a body found years ago is that of Tracy Byrd. A possible murder suspect lives in the area. Fourteen-year-old Tracy Byrd was last seen 25 years ago this morning, walking through the rain toward the doors of Bensalem High School. Her case is far from cold. A Bensalem detective believes he knows what happened to the petite ninth-grader — and he's dismissing the old theories. For years, people thought Tracy's mother's boyfriend killed her. Paul Greenwald was the last person to see Tracy, and he later murdered her mother. He killed himself in prison. Others thought Tracy ran away. She was possibly pregnant and definitely in trouble at school. People reported sightings of Tracy for years after she went missing. Bensalem Detective Chris McMullin thinks someone killed Tracy, but it wasn't the mother's boyfriend. New, credible information has set McMullin's sights on a Bucks County man. “He's not an official suspect,” McMullin said, refusing to give a name. “But I want him to get stomach cancer worrying about it.” McMullin believes Tracy's body is that of a pregnant Jane Doe discovered 20 years ago at the old Publicker Industries building off State Road in Bensalem. Although that theory was dismissed in 1988, today's forensic testing might prove it right this time. McMullin believes that whoever killed Tracy probably was the person who impregnated her. Sightings and anonymous tips to police continued into the late 1980s. Jean Byrd, Tracy's mother, had a tumultuous relationship with Greenwald. In 1980, he kidnapped Jean Byrd at knifepoint and led police on a 12-mile car chase to Trenton. The couple's relationship was off and on. Jean Byrd vanished six months after Tracy did. Jean Byrd's body turned up in a Delaware state park. And Greenwald was charged with strangling her. The police failed to get anything out of Greenwald about Tracy. He overdosed on his medication in prison the day of his scheduled sentencing for manslaughter. Greenwald's suicide might have made finding Tracy challenging. But it was especially difficult because police had next to nothing with which to identify Tracy's body should they find it. Police didn't have Tracy's blood type. They lacked fingerprints. And they had only one X-ray, of Tracy's back molar — a baby tooth. In January 1988, a man walking his dog found a woman's skeletal remains in an old industrial well at the site of the defunct Publicker Industries distillery off State Road. The woman's decomposed fetus, about 6 months old, was among the bones. Using the technology and information they had then, police concluded the body wasn't Tracy's. The unidentified bones stayed in Bensalem's evidence room for 19 years. The case got a boost two years ago, with new information. Although McMullin wouldn't elaborate on the information, he said it was credible enough to point to a killer. With forensic science and technology more advanced than it was 20 years ago, McMullin said DNA testing is worth a shot. He secured federal grant money last year for extensive tests. The bones found in 1988 are being tested at the University of North Texas. Results are expected in June, McMullin said. Anyone with information regarding Tracy Byrd or the body found off State Road should call Bensalem Detective Chris McMullin at (215) 633-3726. Ben Finley can be reached at (215) 949-4203 or bfinley@phillyBurbs.com. March 8, 2008 7:34 AM http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-03082008-1500236.html

DNA evidence could end search for teen By BEN FINLEY Bucks County Courier Times Fourteen-year-old Tracy Byrd was last seen 25 years ago this morning, walking through the rain toward the doors of Bensalem High School. Her case is far from cold. A Bensalem detective believes he knows what happened to the petite ninth-grader — and he's dismissing the old theories. For years, people thought Tracy's mother's boyfriend killed her. Paul Greenwald was the last person to see Tracy, and he later murdered her mother. He killed himself in prison. Others thought Tracy ran away. She was possibly pregnant and definitely in trouble at school. People reported sightings of Tracy for years after she went missing. Bensalem Detective Chris McMullin thinks someone killed Tracy, but it wasn't the mother's boyfriend. New, credible information has set McMullin's sights on a Bucks County man. “He's not an official suspect,” McMullin said, refusing to give a name. “But I want him to get stomach cancer worrying about it.” McMullin believes Tracy's body is that of a pregnant Jane Doe discovered 20 years ago at the old Publicker Industries building off State Road in Bensalem. Although that theory was dismissed in 1988, today's forensic testing might prove it right this time. SIGHTINGS The morning Tracy disappeared, the sky was pouring. She asked her mom's boyfriend, Greenwald, to drive her to school. But Tracy wasn't really going to school. The ninth-grader had been suspended and wasn't allowed back until administrators met with her parents. Her mom knew nothing about it. Greenwald told the Courier Times in 1983 that he dropped off Tracy, and she said, “ "Have a nice day' or something.” Greenwald said he then drove home. Tracy apparently never entered the school. Police initially thought Tracy was a runaway. Not long before she disappeared, Tracy mentioned to her friend Lisa Patrelle that “she thought she was pregnant,” Patrelle recalled this week. McMullin, who interviewed several of Tracy's friends, said the pregnancy was “hard rumor” at the time. Dale Byrd, one of Tracy's older brothers, said it was possible. But who was the father? McMullin believes that whoever killed Tracy probably was the person who impregnated her. Dale Byrd said he doesn't know who the father might've been. Patrelle, who also got a ride from Greenwald the morning Tracy disappeared, recalled that Tracy dated two boys on and off before her disappearance. Feeding the runaway theory was the fact that Tracy had left home before, for one night, after a fight with her mom. And some of Tracy's friends had tried running away themselves. Patrelle still won't rule out the runaway theory, although she said she does have her doubts. “A week after she disappeared, my stepdad said she called my house. And I thought I had seen her a couple months later at a concert,” Patrelle said. Patrelle said she never saw or heard from Tracy again. But sightings and anonymous tips to police continued into the late 1980s. And, “if Tracy ran away, why didn't she stay in touch with anybody?” Patrelle asked. McMullin and Dale Byrd said they can't reconcile how a possibly pregnant 14-year-old with no job or money could survive on her own for so long — even with a boyfriend's help. Tracy's friends are adamant she would've been knocking on their doors the minute she took off, McMullin said. Besides, Tracy never came back for her mother's funeral. The two were exceptionally close. A BABY TOOTH Jean Byrd, Tracy's mother, had a tumultuous relationship with Greenwald. In 1980, he kidnapped Jean Byrd at knifepoint and led police on a 12-mile car chase to Trenton. The couple's relationship was off and on. Jean Byrd vanished six months after Tracy did. Jean Byrd's body turned up in a Delaware state park. And Greenwald was charged with strangling her. The police failed to get anything out of Greenwald about Tracy. He overdosed on his medication in prison the day of his scheduled sentencing for manslaughter. Greenwald's suicide might have made finding Tracy challenging. But it was especially difficult because police had next to nothing with which to identify Tracy's body should they find it. Police didn't have Tracy's blood type. They lacked fingerprints. And they had only one X-ray, of Tracy's back molar — a baby tooth. Former Bensalem Detective Terry Lachman, who worked the case for years, routinely checked unidentified body reports, according to press accounts. He mailed photos of Tracy and the molar X-ray to police stations as far away as Vermont. Two bodies even turned up in the same Delaware park where Jean Byrd was found. They weren't Tracy. In January 1988, a man walking his dog found a woman's skeletal remains in an old industrial well at the site of the defunct Publicker Industries distillery off State Road. The woman's decomposed fetus, about 6 months old, was among the bones. Using the technology and information they had then, police concluded the body wasn't Tracy's. A forensic reconstruction of the skeleton's face offered no compelling evidence — for Tracy's case or any other. Tracy's brother Dale never thought that body was Tracy's. He remembers the morning when Tracy and Greenwald left for school. Greenwald returned 30 minutes later. “ is a pretty far distance from the high school. And it would've taken a lot longer to have killed her and disposed of the body,” he said. “We basically had the belief that, because of what Paul did to my mother, that Tracy was buried somewhere around that school.” The unidentified bones stayed in Bensalem's evidence room for 19 years. A NEW HOPE Sidelined to a desk with a broken leg, McMullin, who at 38 years old is one year younger than Tracy would be, cracked open her file a few years ago. He said he always thought Tracy resembled the facial reconstruction of the skeleton found in 1988. “Some people don't see it,” McMullin said. “But I see it.” The case got a boost two years ago, with new information. Although McMullin wouldn't elaborate on the information, he said it was credible enough to point to a killer. McMullin e-mailed digital photos of the clothes, shoes and jewelry worn by the Jane Doe to Tracy's friends. “One of the shirts looked very familiar to me,” said Patrelle, who lives in Louisiana. “And the shoes, especially. She had a similar pair, with solid wood soles or heels. And my mother said one of the rings looked familiar to her.” With forensic science and technology more advanced than it was 20 years ago, McMullin said DNA testing is worth a shot. He secured federal grant money last year for extensive tests. Tracy's father, brothers and grandmother were swabbed last year for their genetic data. The bones found in 1988 are being tested at the University of North Texas. Results are expected in June, McMullin said. The detective said if the body isn't Tracy's, at least her genetic data and that of the Jane Doe will be entered into a nationwide DNA indexing system to match against other cases. For Dale Byrd, the pain will continue. “To tell you the truth, I don't think it's her. I kind of wish it was to put things to rest ... to put a name on the headstone, to be blunt about it,” he said. “I'm crushed. We all are. It leaves a big void, especially, when six months later, we lost our mother. There's a big void that's never been filled,” he said. Anyone with information regarding Tracy Byrd or the body found off State Road should call Bensalem Detective Chris McMullin at 215-633-3726. Ben Finley can be reached at 215-949-4203 or bfinley@phillyBurbs.com. March 8, 2008 5:41 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-03082008-1500202.html

New twist in cases of Jane Doe and missing teen By BEN FINLEY Bucks County Courier Times And so, the two mysteries continue. A DNA test concluded late last month that a pregnant female's body found in Bensalem in 1988 is not that of Tracy Byrd, a 14-year-old Bensalem girl who disappeared in 1983. Bensalem Detective Chris McMullin was hoping the genetic analysis would connect the two. Instead, it ruled out just one possible fate for two females. Yet, the DNA test doesn't have to be the end of either story. Information regarding Tracy and the Jane Doe, including her recently extracted DNA, will be entered into a new national database for the missing and unidentified. The Justice Department created the central database www.namus.gov last year to help remedy the country's vastly disconnected network for solving such cases. Also, an amateur cyber sleuth, someone who tries to match photos of missing persons to artist renderings of unidentified bodies, has her eye on the Jane Doe. The layman detective, a retired nurse in Canada, thinks the body could be a Brooklyn, N.Y., woman who disappeared in 1977. Such folks have gotten it right before, according to Jerry Nance, a supervisor for the forensic assistance unit at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “They send me stuff when they've matched the case of a child,” Nance said. “It's kind of a miracle of the computer age.” The stories of Tracy and the Jane Doe are among tens of thousands of unsolved police files. But they are emblematic of the massive challenges to solving such cases and the evolving effort to discover the truth. JANE DOE A man walking his dog discovered Jane Doe on a January afternoon in 1988. The partially clothed, skeletal remains were submerged in an industrial well on the grounds of a closed distillery, Publickers, off State Road. The woman was six months pregnant. She was wearing black leather, open-toed platform shoes and Braxton designer jeans. Near her body, police found black mesh stockings, a white patterned pullover dress and a ring with five clear stones and five missing stones. The forensic science of 1988 deemed her to be white, between 100 and 120 pounds and between the ages of 17 to 23. One to five years passed before the body was discovered, officials said at the time. Brendalee Ward doesn't put too much faith in the forensic science of the 1980s. The part-time cyber sleuth thinks the body could be that of Audrey Lyn Nerenberg, an 18-year-old from Brooklyn. Ward, 42, found Bensalem's 1988 Jane Doe by trolling the Web site www.doenetwork.org, which catalogs some of the country's unidentified dead and missing. Ward started a group for tracking down missing people, www.myspace.com/c_o_a_l__t_e_a_m, which has members across the continent trying to link the missing to the nameless bodies. A diagnosed schizophrenic, Nerenberg last was seen leaving her family's home to buy a pack of cigarettes. She wasn't known to be pregnant. And she was dressed in a tube top, cut-off jean shorts and clear plastic shoes, which isn't what Bensalem's Jane Doe was wearing. But Ward believes that a significant period of time could've elapsed between Nerenberg's disappearance and her death, explaining the pregnancy, different clothing and estimated duration of the body in the well. Ward's theory is mainly based on Nerenberg's photo and the artist rendering of the Jane Doe. “There's something about the eye orbits,” Ward said by telephone from Canada. “Audrey had deep eye orbits, and so did this Jane Doe. And they both have an oval, diamond-shaped face.” McMullin, the Bensalem detective, and Ward said they're waiting to hear back from the New York City Police Department regarding the case. Web sleuths such as Ward have made matches before, according to Nance. “They've identified 40 to 50 people by now . . . just by looking at the Internet,” Nance said of the mouse-clicking bank managers, librarians and otherwise forensic laymen. According to the Kansas City Star, in 2005, a Mississippi man matched the head of an unidentified man found in Missouri to the case of a missing Iowa man. The victim was Gregory May of Bellevue, Iowa, a Civil War buff whose body was dismembered and discarded by a man who then stole May's Civil War artifacts, the newspaper reported. TRACY BYRD Tracy Byrd vanished in March 1983. She last was seen walking toward Bensalem High School after being dropped off by her mother's boyfriend. Initially, some people thought the 14-year-old ran away. She was suspended from school and possibly pregnant. She had left home before, for one night, after a fight with her mom. Despite numerous unverified sightings, the theory wasn't popular among family and close friends who believe Tracy would've contacted at least one person if she ran away. She didn't even attend her mother's funeral. Six months after Tracy disappeared, her mom vanished. Jean Byrd's body was later found in a Delaware State Park. Her boyfriend pleaded guilty to strangling her. But before police could get anything out of Paul Greenwald about Tracy, he killed himself in his jail cell. Many of Tracy's family members believe Greenwald killed Tracy. The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Tracy's family for this article. But Dale Byrd, a brother, told the newspaper in March he always believed Greenwald buried Tracy somewhere around Bensalem High School. Greenwald was gone for only about 30 minutes the morning he dropped off Tracy, Byrd said. McMullin has his own theory about what happened to Tracy. It doesn't involve Greenwald. The detective received some credible information a couple of years ago that points to a Bucks County man as Tracy's killer. The detective won't elaborate more. Even if someone believed that Tracy is still alive, statistics wouldn't support the theory. Nance said his National Center for Missing and Exploited Children office has about 800 cases of long-time missing children, those who disappeared between 1947 and 1995. At best, 2 percent are alive, he said. That's because the most common motivation for kidnapping is sexual assault, which usually leads to the kidnapper killing the kids afterward. Also, if the child runs away, the lifestyle they often fall into puts them at a higher risk of dying, Nance said. So, if Tracy is dead, will her body ever be found and identified? “Generally speaking, if you wanted to hide a body pretty well, you wouldn't have to be genius to figure it out,” Nance said about the possibility that Tracy's remains have been recovered, even unknowingly. The United States has about 100,000 missing persons cases, according to the Justice Department. And, going back to the 1940s, police have found about 40,000 unidentified bodies — 2,000 of them are children, Nance said. Bucks County has six unidentified bodies going back to 1988, the latest information available, according to county Coroner Joseph Campbell. But even if Tracy is one of those 40,000 found, that doesn't guarantee she'll be identified. Before the recently created namus system, police used and still use an FBI database, the National Crime Information Center, to try to match the missing to the unidentified. No law requires government officials to register unidentified bodies into that system or any other. So, despite the tens of thousands of bodies being registered in jurisdictions across the country, the FBI's database contains fewer than 7,000 Jane and John Does, Nance said. And even among those entries, many files are limited to bits of information like dental records and fingerprints, which often isn't enough, Nance said. For instance, all police had of Tracy was a baby tooth. Now at least, her family's DNA will be available in the new namus system, McMullin said. The new system essentially offers a blank page for each missing person and unidentified body, onto which officials can enter any number of details, including DNA, photos and artist renderings. The idea is to cross reference the information until a match is found. Much of the site will be open to the public. Nance hopes the new database will turn around things. “Everybody should have their name,” he said. “Everybody should be known.” Ward, the woman from Canada, said: “We will not let these cases go. Someone is looking at them every day.” Ben Finley can be reached at 215-949-4203 or bfinley@phillyBurbs.com. July 7, 2008 6:45 AM http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-07072008-1559534.html