HALIFAX, Pa. — A "controlled demolition" of a Halifax-area home once owned by a potential suspect in the 1989 disappearance of Tracy Kroh produced no evidence of human remains on the property, State Police said Thursday.
Investigators spent the last 10 days demolishing a home and investigating the property at 134 Mountain House Road in Jackson Township as part of the probe into Kroh's disappearance.
The home once belonged to Mark Eugene Warfel, whom police consider to be a suspect in the case. Warfel, 94, who suffers from dementia, was declared mentally unfit to stand trial in an unrelated burglary charge last year. It's unclear whether he will ever be charged in relation to Kroh's disappearance, or if he would be fit to stand trial if he were charged.
The Mountain House Road property will remain restricted until April 3, State Police said in a statement.
Police say they determined that Warfel's property contained evidence relevant to Kroh's disappearance through their investigation, which included interviews with Warfel, previous searches of related properties, and examination of past investigative efforts.
A demolition and excavation of the property and surrounding buildings was conducted in an effort to locate Kroh or additional evidence related to her disappearance, the police statement said.
"Two canine teams certified in human remains detection assisted in identifying primary excavation areas, police said. "Members meticulously excavated and searched the property; however, human remains were not discovered."
State Police said the following agencies assisted in the operation and called their help "vital": Maiocco Excavation, Special Unit 66 Search and Rescue, Central Jersey K-9 Search and Rescue, the Georgia State Patrol, PennDOT, Fisherville Volunteer Fire Department, Jackson Township, Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat Ph.D., D-ABFA (Mercyhurst University), Scott Disposal and Transport LLC, PPL, and Matthew Faust Plumbing and Heating.
"The Pennsylvania State Police remains fully committed and unwavering in our pursuit of justice for Tracy Kroh and closure for the Kroh family and the community," the statement concluded. "We will remain relentless in the pursuit of these goals."
Kroh was last seen on August 5, 1989, at the Alex Acres Trailer Park off Route 147 in Halifax around 10 p.m.
She was reportedly trying to visit her sister and brother-in-law who lived at the trailer park, but they were not home. Kroh dropped off items on their front steps and never arrived back at her family's home in Millersburg.
The trailer park is approximately seven miles west of her home.
Dauphin County officials said in 2014 that before Kroh disappeared, she was seen using a public telephone off of Millersburg Square. Her vehicle, a blue-striped white 1971 Mercury Comet, was located at the town square the following evening, Aug. 6.
Officials added that her belongings weren't inside and there was no trace of Kroh.
In December 1993, parts of Kroh's wallet—including her driver's license and National Honor Society card—were found in an area along Wiconisco Creek, off Rakers Mill Rd., in Washington Township, approximately nine miles from Millersburg.
In 2018, Dauphin County woman Holly Mallett came forward to police, telling them Matthew Webster, also of Dauphin County, admitted to her he was involved in the rape and murder of Kroh.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Webster told Mallet, "It was supposed to be just a rape and done but then it turned out to be a lot more than that."
Police then intercepted a call between Webster and Mallett in which Webster told Mallett what to say to a grand jury.
Both were subsequently charged with perjury.
When FOX43 spoke with Warfel in July 2019, he said he wasn’t concerned about the police search.
“I said 'what are you digging for,' and they said they thought maybe the remains of Tracy Kroh might be there," Warfel said at the time. "And I said, 'well you can dig all that you want but you aren’t going to find anything.'"