LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — It's a major break in a 51-year-old cold case.
State Police at Jonestown have identified the remains of a young girl who was found dead in a wooded area in Lebanon County in 1973.
“This young female will no longer be known as Jane Doe," said Sgt. Josh Lacey of the Pennsylvania State Police at a press conference on Thursday. "She will be known by her given name, Ruth Elizabeth Brenneman."
On Oct. 10, 1973, State Police began an investigation after Ruth's body was found by two Lebanon County Game Wardens in a wooded area of Moonshine Rd, near Ridge and Tomstown Roads in Union Township.
Her remains were found under a plastic tarp and brush, and police say they had been decomposed.
Authorities say the girl was a white female with long brown or blonde hair and she stood approximately 5'3" to 5'6" tall. Police say she had a thin to average build.
According to State Police, Ruth was a 14-year-old girl from York County, though they would not state which specific part of the county she was from.
She was last seen by her family at the beginning of the 1973 school year when she left for school one day and never returned home.
Investigators are still trying to figure out if Ruth was reported missing at the time.
Where her remains were found is approximately 47 miles away from York County, according to troopers.
Police are still working on the case and trying to learn how and when she died. They say learning her name is a big step in the right direction.
“With a Jane or John Doe case, that’s what slows us up, when we don’t know who the victim is or victims are," said Trooper Ian Keck of the Pennsylvania State Police. "Therefore we can’t proceed to what could have happened to them until we know who they are.”
Ruth's body was exhumed in 2016 from the Mount Lebanon Cemetery on Maple Street in Lebanon. Genealogy aided investigators in determining her identity eight years later.
“Just because we identified her today, that doesn’t end our investigation," said Trooper Keck.
Troopers also read a statement from Ruth's family at Thursday's press conference. The family extended their gratitude to investigators and said their work has helped provide closure to some questions that have lingered over the last 51 years.
State Police are now looking to speak with anyone who may have known Ruth, who was also called Ruthie by close friends and family. Anyone who has information is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police-Jonestown at 717-865-2194. Tips can also be submitted through PSP Tips.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that solves the case.
You can watch the full press conference above.