Marie Petry Heiser, 50, female, White, was found dead on June 27, 1977, in a rural area off Old Union Church Road near Townsend, Delaware. A teenage cyclist discovered her nude, decomposed body in or near a drainage ditch by a wooded area. Investigators determined the manner of death was homicide. For decades she was listed only as an unidentified Jane Doe, with early bulletins describing an unidentified white woman discovered in late June 1977 in the Townsend area.
Her identity was finally restored in March 2021 through forensic work that combined DNA with genealogical research, confirming she was Marie Petry Heiser of Philadelphia. Authorities said she had never been reported missing, and noted past residences on Crafton Street in Northeast Philadelphia. Reports following the identification recounted that Heiser left behind a husband and two children, and that she had been married to a former Philadelphia police officer.
Detectives have publicly stated that they scrutinized the husband’s explanation about her disappearance as part of their review of the case, but as of the latest coverage there have been no arrests and no named suspects. The case remains open, with investigators appealing for information from anyone who knew Heiser or her family in the period leading up to her death.
