At the end of March 1977, Mrs. Jennie E. Barr, an elderly widow, was found dead in her den in her home in Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The cause of death was strangulation and she was also sexually assaulted. Investigators ruled the death a homicide.
This murder was the first of four that occurred in the Lykens Valley area in a less than three-year period between 1977 and 1979 – all of elderly widows.
The story of the discovery of the body through the revelation of the autopsy results, investigation and settlement of her estate is told through 12 brief stories that appeared in area newspapers.
Although a suspect was charged and brought to trial in 1981, he was quickly acquitted. As with the other three murders, this homicide remains unsolved.
Note: The 1981 trial will be featured in another series of posts.
From the Pottsville Republican, 2 April 1977:
Funeral Notices
BARR (Suddenly) – At Tremont, On Thursday, March 31, 1977, Mrs. Jennie E. (nee Frymoyer) Barr, widow of Dr. Guy L. Barr of 20 N. Crescent St., Tremont. Aged 78.
Relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral services Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. from the W. E. Minnig Funeral Home, 120 W. Main St., Tremont. There will be no viewing but the family will receive callers on Tuesday at the funeral home from 12:30 until time of services. Interment St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Tremont.
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For all other parts of this story, see: Who Killed Jennie E. Barr?
News clipping/article from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.