Bucks County Officials Reveal Killer in 1962 Carol Ann Dougherty Case
A cold case dating back over six decades has finally been cracked as authorities have identified William Schrader, a serial child abuser, as the prime suspect behind the rape and murder of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty. The break came after years of investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and Bucks County prosecutors, who tracked down eyewitnesses, reviewed forensic evidence, and obtained a confession from Schrader's stepson.
On October 22, 1962, Dougherty went missing while riding her bike to meet friends at the Bristol Borough Free Library. Her father later found her body inside St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church, where she had been brutally raped and strangled with a ligature. Male pubic hairs were clutched in her hand at the scene, leading investigators to pinpoint Schrader as their top suspect.
Schrader, who grew up in Luzerne County, had a history of violence that dated back to his childhood. He was convicted of attempted murder and served time at Eastern State Penitentiary before settling in Bristol with family members. Investigators initially focused on three other suspects but ruled them out after they provided legitimate alibis.
In 2002, Schrader died while serving a prison sentence for other crimes. However, his DNA was still matched to the pubic hair found at the scene of Dougherty's murder, and further investigation revealed that he had confessed to killing a little girl at a Pennsylvania church years after her death.
The breakthrough in the case came thanks to a confession from Schrader's stepson, Robert Leblanc, who shared his stepfather's darkest secrets. Leblanc told police that Schrader had twice confessed to killing a young girl at St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church. The confessions were corroborated by another witness who reported seeing Schrader outside the church on the day of Dougherty's murder.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn hailed the identification as a major victory for justice, saying that it brought closure to the case and provided a sense of resolution to the Dougherty family. "The generational sexual abuse that this man inflicted upon every female child and woman in his life, he didn’t stop until the day he died," she said.
Carol Ann's sister, Kay Dougherty, praised Missanelli, whose uncle was the police chief in Bristol in 1962, for producing a podcast series that helped revive interest in the case. "After so many decades of unknowing, this finding finally brings closure and a truth to a wound that never healed," she said.
Schrader's legacy as a serial child abuser will be forever etched into history, serving as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of his crimes on families and communities.
A cold case dating back over six decades has finally been cracked as authorities have identified William Schrader, a serial child abuser, as the prime suspect behind the rape and murder of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty. The break came after years of investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and Bucks County prosecutors, who tracked down eyewitnesses, reviewed forensic evidence, and obtained a confession from Schrader's stepson.
On October 22, 1962, Dougherty went missing while riding her bike to meet friends at the Bristol Borough Free Library. Her father later found her body inside St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church, where she had been brutally raped and strangled with a ligature. Male pubic hairs were clutched in her hand at the scene, leading investigators to pinpoint Schrader as their top suspect.
Schrader, who grew up in Luzerne County, had a history of violence that dated back to his childhood. He was convicted of attempted murder and served time at Eastern State Penitentiary before settling in Bristol with family members. Investigators initially focused on three other suspects but ruled them out after they provided legitimate alibis.
In 2002, Schrader died while serving a prison sentence for other crimes. However, his DNA was still matched to the pubic hair found at the scene of Dougherty's murder, and further investigation revealed that he had confessed to killing a little girl at a Pennsylvania church years after her death.
The breakthrough in the case came thanks to a confession from Schrader's stepson, Robert Leblanc, who shared his stepfather's darkest secrets. Leblanc told police that Schrader had twice confessed to killing a young girl at St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church. The confessions were corroborated by another witness who reported seeing Schrader outside the church on the day of Dougherty's murder.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn hailed the identification as a major victory for justice, saying that it brought closure to the case and provided a sense of resolution to the Dougherty family. "The generational sexual abuse that this man inflicted upon every female child and woman in his life, he didn’t stop until the day he died," she said.
Carol Ann's sister, Kay Dougherty, praised Missanelli, whose uncle was the police chief in Bristol in 1962, for producing a podcast series that helped revive interest in the case. "After so many decades of unknowing, this finding finally brings closure and a truth to a wound that never healed," she said.
Schrader's legacy as a serial child abuser will be forever etched into history, serving as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of his crimes on families and communities.
the fact that she was only 9 when this happened is just devastating... and the fact that her killer had a history of violence and was able to cover his tracks for so long is just mind-boggling 
it's crazy how technology and new leads can crack old cases like this... but at the same time, you gotta wonder what could've been done differently back then to prevent all this from happening 
can't even imagine what the Dougherty family went through all those years ago 
. how messed up is it that schrader thought he could just keep committing these heinous crimes & get away with it? 
and to think his own stepson was the one who finally spilled the beans 
still can't believe it took so long for justice to be served 
. at least now we know the truth & the Dougherty family gets some semblance of closure 
. And now we're supposed to feel all warm fuzzy inside about justice being served? Give me a break 
. Just peachy 
.
. It's just heartbreaking to think about what happened to Carol Ann all those years ago 
. I do wish they had caught him sooner, though - 6 decades is way too long for someone to be committing such heinous crimes 
. It's just sickening to think about the abuse that guy inflicted on so many people 
.
. We should be giving credit to Missanelli's uncle too 
I'm seeing this news and it's just soooo sad 
. The whole thing is just crazy - 63 years old and still not knowing who did it... but then they found out 
.
.
2002 cant come soon enough 4 him 2 die in prison 
anyway its good 2 know whos responsible now hope the Dougherty family gets some kinda closure
. A confession from his own stepson is what cracked the case 
. Good on Missanelli for keeping the case in the spotlight 
. Now let's hope his legacy is remembered as one of evil, not in some twisted way 
.
. but seriously, the fact that investigators were able to track down schrader's stepson and get a confession from him is just mind-blowing. it's like he was just waiting for someone to crack under pressure or something 
. and now that we know what really happened, i can only imagine how hard it must be for the dougherty family to finally get some closure 
This is insane! Some dude who was like 10 when Carol Ann got murdered is now known to have confessed to killing her 
. I mean, what's even more messed up is that this guy was only caught because his own stepson told the cops everything 
. The fact that it took 60+ years to catch him is just wild 
. I'm just glad that justice has finally been served for Carol Ann's family, even if it's late in the game 
. It's wild to think that 60+ years after Carol Ann went missing, we've finally got a name and some semblance of closure for her family 
it's just not right that we have to wait so long for answers in cases like this.
let's hope that this case serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance and justice, even in the face of adversity. 
. And can you believe his stepson's confession basically solved the case? Like what would make him do that? 
.