the Babes in Woods Story

In November 1934 the bodies of three young girls were found in Penn Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The girls' bodies were located just a short distance of the state road which leads from Pine Grove Furnace north to Newville, and were carefully arranged on a blanket with another blanket covering them. The finding of these bodies and the investigation that followed almost immediately came to be known as the "Babes in the Woods" case. Attempts to identify the bodies led to a nationwide search for clues as newspapers across the country reported the incident. One hundred twenty-five miles west, near Duncansville, Blair County, Pennsylvania, the bodies of a man and a young woman were found at a railway flag stop in a rural area, the apparent victims of a suicide pact. Attempts to identify them eventually led to a connection with the events in Cumberland County. Although the basic facts about these deaths became known in December 1934, fully understanding how and why these events occurred has continued to attract attention over the ensuing years. This book examines information about the tragedy and will attempt to answer at least some of the questions regarding these incidents. This second edition includes the addendum originally published separately in 2024 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the girls' deaths, The Missing Police Records: An Addendum to The Babes in the Woods Story. The records had been thought to be lost in a 1960 move, but were rediscovered when the Pennsylvania State Police Academy Museum was reorganized by historian & archivist, Tom Memmi. This included more than 260 pages of documentation in addition to photos, a set of 5 death masks, and other items collected during the investigation. Tom graciously allowed the author full access to the collection to create a summary of the investigation.

Pages: 172, Paperback, Independently published