DNA tests "inconclusive" in Bristol woman’s unsolved 1977 murder

The long awaited DNA tests in the Shaun Ritterson case are finally in, and the results have shed little light on the 35-year-old murder mystery.

Unfortunately, due to the degradation of the evidence, the test results came back inconclusive, said Matt Weintraub, Bucks County's chief of prosecution. They couldn't implicate our suspect, or rule our suspect out.

Like all homicides, the 20-year-old Bristol woman's case will remain open, Weintraub said, but will no longer be an active investigation.

Personally, I'm disappointed, he said. But professionally I'm satisfied that we've done all that we can do to solve this case and bring some finality to it.

Ritterson was found dead on a Buckingham hillside in June 1977. She had been stabbed and disemboweled.

Numerous people were questioned, but an arrest was never made.

In 2011, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office granted reporters from Calkins MediaThe Courier Times and Intelligencer's parent company unprecedented access to the Ritterson files and evidence. A year of research and interviews led to the award-winning series The Girl on Church Hill, published in June 2012.

The reporters' work also spurred investigators to reopen the case. A task force of detectives and other law enforcement officials re-interviewed as many witnesses as they could find, and chased down leads provided by newspaper readers.

Police in both 1977 and 2012 showed interest in Ritterson's uncle, Harry Ritterson. Witnesses described his relationship with his niece as extremely close, and said they often socialized together at bars despite a 20-year age difference.

A reporter interviewed Harry Ritterson at his Easton home last year. He said he knew he'd been blamed for his niece's murder and wanted to clear his name. Ritterson told the reporter that he wanted to speak with investigators and offered to take a DNA test. He then cut off all contact with the reporter.

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DNA tests "inconclusive" in Bristol woman's unsolved 1977 murder