COLD CASE
Man charged with murder of Denise Marie Pierson 40 years after teen was killed and body found near railroad tracks
A MAN has been charged with the murder of teenager Denise Marie Pierson nearly 40 years after she was killed.
The 18-year-old's body was found in July 1984 near the railroad tracks in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.
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The teen was reported missing in April 1981 after she didn't return home after visiting a friend.
Two men have been longtime suspects in Pierson's death and were interviewed a number of times over the years, reported.
And now 58-year-old Wayne Anthony Walker, 58, was charged Thursday with multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and State Police investigators also said that Peter Horne, who died in 2013 while serving time for unrelated stalking charges, was identified as a co-conspirator in her death.
They added that two more people are still under investigation for their potential involvement and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to additional arrests.
Stollsteimer said in a : "For forty long years the family of Denise Pierson has sought answers in connection with the death of their loved one.
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"We hope that today's announcement brings a measure of healing and closure that they've been denied for too long.
“To the families and friends of all victims awaiting justice for crimes committed in our County, we hope this case sends an unequivocal message that you are not forgotten by the detectives and prosecutors in my office.
"We are extremely grateful to our law enforcement partners at the Pennsylvania State Police for their work on this case, particularly Corporal David Lang and Trooper Martin. They worked tenaciously to bring this case to closure."
The case was re-opened in 2018, and investigators were able to make a breakthrough after re-reviewing the evidence.
A few years after the woman's disappearance the Crisis Intervention Center at Crozer-Chester Hospital received a call from someone who claimed he had killed Pierson.
The call was later traced to the home of Peter Horne in Marcus Hook but he denied making a call to the centre.
However, cops found evidence including two blackjacks, rope, clothing and jewelry.
But they did not have enough evidence to charge the men with the death.
In July 2021 Trooper First Class Andrew Martin sought the help of Forensic Anthropologist Erin Kimmerle, at the University of South Florida who reexamined the evidence.
She found that the victim had sustained a sharp incised cut along her neck near her jaw, from a sharp-edged object.
Police said the new information helped them in corroborating witness and suspect statements.
“As with any cold case Homicide Investigation, the passage of time should not be looked at as a burden to the investigation, but rather an advantage.
"It is often found that relationships change throughout the years.
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"Witnesses who may have been reluctant to come forward in the past, are now more willing to assist.
"People previously confided in by suspects because they were trustworthy may not have the same loyalty 40 years later, and this is exactly what we have found with this investigation,” said Trooper First Class Martin.
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