A Tragedy In Marple: Author Reflects On Hometown Case

The FOX True Crime Podcast w/ Emily Compagno

Fox News

True Crime

4.8 • 708 Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2023

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.8	I'm Emily Campaniel, and this is the Fox True Crime podcast.
0:46.5	Thank you. True Crime Podcast. For nearly 50 years, the community of Marple Township, Pennsylvania, was haunted by the
0:52.9	inexplicable murder of a young local girl.
0:56.5	Eight-year-old Gretchen Harrington was last seen alive the morning of August 15, 1975,
1:03.0	as she walked down the streets of her neighborhood on her way to vacation Bible school.
1:08.1	Almost two months after her disappearance, Gretchen's remains were found at Ridley Creek State
1:13.2	Park.
1:14.2	She had been the victim of a brutal homicide.
1:17.5	Gretchen's case went cold, and for decades, her family went without answers.
1:22.8	For author Joanna Sullivan, this case hit close to home.
1:30.0	Joanna grew up in Delaware County and was nine years old when Gretchen went missing. Her memory of the case never faded and inspired her to
1:35.6	write Marple's Gretchen-Harrington tragedy, a book she co-authored with her childhood friend Mike Mathis.
1:42.9	Together, the two authors conducted research into the case,
1:46.6	interviewing community members and law enforcement alike.
1:50.3	One of those interviews was David Zanstra.
1:53.9	On July 24, 2023, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stolzheimer
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