In the winter of 2007, the life of Edwina Atieno Onyango, a 34-year-old woman from Lansford, Pennsylvania, took a devastating turn, leaving her family with unanswered questions that persist to this day. A native of Kenya who had moved to the United States in 1998 seeking a better life, Edwina was described as a loving and hardworking individual who remained close to her family. On December 9, 2007, she left a voicemail for her sister stating she was going to the Lansford home of her estranged husband, Ernest Troy Freeby, to pick something up. That was the last time anyone in her family heard from her. At the time of her disappearance, Edwina was living and working as a live-in care provider in Allentown, while Freeby resided in Lansford.
Concern grew among Edwina's nine siblings when days turned into more than a week with no word from her, which was highly uncharacteristic.
Her brother officially reported her missing to the Lansford police on December 17, 2007, and the Pennsylvania State Police took over the investigation shortly after. Investigators found Edwina's car parked at her husband's residence on West Bertsch Street. Freeby claimed that Edwina had arrived at his house as planned but left with an unidentified woman and he hadn't seen her since. He also alleged that she had given him permission to use her credit cards, which he did in the days following her disappearance. This explanation, however, did little to comfort her family, who knew her to be in frequent contact with them.
The investigation into Edwina's disappearance uncovered grim evidence at her husband's home. In the basement, state police discovered a significant amount of blood that DNA testing later proved to be Edwina's. The blood trail led down the basement stairs and into a coal bin, and it appeared that someone had attempted to clean the area and conceal the stains by painting over them. Investigators concluded that the evidence pointed to Edwina having sustained substantial injuries. Despite the lack of a body, the circumstantial evidence, including the blood evidence and Freeby's changing statements to police, was compelling. In August 2009, nearly two years after Edwina vanished, Ernest Troy Freeby was charged with her murder and with tampering with evidence. In January 2012, following a three-week trial, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although legal justice was served, the deep pain for Edwina's family remains, as her body has never been recovered. The case is a heartbreaking story of a woman who disappeared under violent circumstances, leading to her husband's murder conviction despite her remains never being found, leaving her loved ones without a final resting place to mourn.Last Seen: Dec 9, 2007
