Who Killed Jennie E. Barr? (9)

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, 4 April 1977:

Motive not burglary, in murder, DA says

By DENNIS MELNICK, Staff Writer

A motive in the murder of a 78-year-old Tremont woman is still being sought by state police at Pottsville, a state police detail from Reading and members of the district attorney’s office.

District Attorney Richard B. Russell said he seed no reason why anyone would have wanted to kill Jenne E. Barr, 10 N. Crescent St., and added that investigators have no idea of any motive.

“It’s apparent that the motive was not burglary,” Russell said.  If we can find the suspect then we’ll finally get to the motive.”

Mrs. Barr was found lying in the first floor den of her home, where she lived alone, by neighbors on Thursday night.  An autopsy performed on Friday determined death to be from manual strangulation.  The autopsy also indicated that the widow was sexually assaulted.

Russell said that the investigation is centered on talking to many people in the home that some semblance of a clue will surface.

The possibility of burglary being a motive for the entrance to Mrs. Barr’s home is scant since members of the family have yet to find anything missing.

Russell added that the first reports phoned in to him on Thursday night that the house was ransacked proved to be false.  Russell said he was one of the first men on the scene and he found Mrs. Barr on the floor, with the lights and television set still on and nothing at all disturbed in the house.

There were also no visible sighs of forced entry into the house but Russell said it is a possibility that acss [sic] was gained through either the front or side door.  Mrs. Barr was known to be very safety-conscious but Russell said, as a result of talking to members of the family, it was found that Mrs. Barr was having trouble locking her front door due to a mechanical deficiency of the lock.  Both the front and side doors were found unlocked Thursday night.

Russell surmised that perhaps the murderer entered the front door and then left through the side door.

The investigation is compounded by the fact that it is unlikely that anyone had seen any activity during the times of 10 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, the time during which it was determined the act took place.  Mrs. Barr’s house is located between two vacant houses, eliminating the possibility of a next-door neighbor seeing or hearing anything. The nearest house is across the street and a set of railroad tracks.  The Barr house is also surrounded by tall shrubs which makes it difficult for the people across the street to see any activity.

The time of death was pinpointed to be some time Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.  The evening paper was found in the living room, Russell said, but the Thursday morning paper and mail were still in her box, located in front of the house.

Russell said that the intruder probably walked into the house and surprised Mrs. Barr since there was no signs of any struggle. Russell said Mrs. Barr was siting in front of the television set at the time of the murder.

Russell added that it may also be a possibility that the suspect knew something about Mrs. Barr or at least knew of her.

Police fingerprinted the entire area of the home.  Russell said that Mrs. Barr was beaten about the face probably by a man’s fist and added that it is not known is any kind of weapon was involved.

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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.