NEW BOOK LEADS TO PASTOR’S ARREST IN MURDER OF GIRL, 8, WALKING TO BIBLE CAMP
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.2 • 8.1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 September 2023
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Eight-year-old Gretchen Harrington leaves home, walking to vacation bible school at a church just a half mile from her home. Usually, Gretchen is accompanied by her two sisters, but this day, she walks alone. The older girls stay home.
It was just after 9 a.m. when Pastor Harold Harrington waved goodbye. Two hours passed before he found out Gretchen never made it to VBS. Hundreds of people took part in the search for the little girl. A police helicopter continuously flew overhead. Teams of searchers combed the hillside of the community. Friends and family hand out fliers with Gretchen’s picture on it. Some witnesses said they had seen Gretchen outside a car, talking to someone, but nothing came of the lead.
Two months later, a jogger found the skeletonized human remains of a little girl. The Harringtons confirmed the clothing found with the body as Gretchen’s. It was only 20 minutes from her home.
Gretchen’s manner of death is ruled a homicide. The girl's skull has been fractured by multiple vicious blows. An autopsy does not reveal sex assault, but police believe that was the motive.
Now, years later, a new book leads to the capture of a murderer.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
- Joanna Falcone Sullivan - Co-author: ‘Marple’s Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia’, Editor in chief, Baltimore Business Journal; Facebook: Gretchen Harrington: Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia
- Jarrett Ferentino - Homicide Prosecutor, Facebook & Instagram: Jarrett Ferentino
- Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski - Forensic Psychologist, Author: “Darksides;" FB: forensicsandmediapsychologist/TikTok: Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski
- Brandon M. Graeff - Chief of Police with Marple Township Police Department in Broomall, PA;@marplepolice on Facebook, X, and Instagram
- Dr. Karl E. Williams, MD, MPH - Chief Medical Examiner for Allegheny County, PA
- Audrey Conklin- Crime Reporter for Fox News Digital, Twitter: @audpants
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 1:01.4 | $1.99. Goodbye, friend. |
| 1:11.0 | Crime stories with Nancy Grace. |
| 1:20.0 | Vacation Bible School. |
| 1:22.9 | I certainly went to Vacation Bible School every single summer. As I have my children and we've |
| 1:28.5 | loved it. But how does a simple walk to VBS turn into murder? Murder for an eight-year-old little girl? |
| 1:42.2 | And how does a book written years later shed light on this child's disappearance and grew some |
| 1:56.3 | death? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation |
| 2:02.5 | and Series X, Sam 111. Take a listen to our friends at Crime Online. |
| 2:06.9 | It's a summertime ritual for many, Vacation Bible School. And that's where eight-year-old |
| 2:11.9 | Gretchen Herrington was headed. She left home, planning to walk the half-mile to Trinity |
| 2:16.4 | Christian Reform Church, and then on to nearby Brumall Reform Presbyterian Church. Gretchen's |
| 2:21.4 | dad was a pastor there. Gretchen walked alone. Usually she was accompanied by her two sisters, |
... |
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