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After 63 years of silence and shadows, a brutal 1962 crime inside a Pennsylvania church has finally been solved — thanks to a long trail of evidence and a guilty conscience that surfaced through a relative, as CNA reports.

Authorities have identified William Schrader as the man who raped and strangled 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty inside a Bristol church, bringing closure to one of the most chilling cold cases in U.S. history.

Carol Ann disappeared on a fall afternoon in 1962 after stopping for snacks on her way to meet friends at the Bristol Borough Free Library. Her journey ended tragically at St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, where her lifeless body was later discovered by her father.

Witness Account and Early Suspicion Led Nowhere

William Schrader, at the time living just a block and a half from the church, quickly drew suspicion. A witness reported seeing him lurking near the church around the time Carol Ann was killed, and his story didn’t hold up under police questioning.

He claimed to have been at work during the murder, but a polygraph test suggested otherwise. When the pressure mounted, Schrader took his show on the road — fleeing Pennsylvania and hopping from Florida to Texas, then finally Louisiana.

Despite initial failures to build a prosecutable case, Schrader did hand over a pubic hair sample. Then he vanished, and leads went cold for decades — a common theme in a justice system that too often relies on timing rather than truth.

Hair Evidence Reanalyzed, Points to a Predator

By 1993, advancing forensic methods allowed researchers to analyze Schrader’s hair sample more thoroughly. It showed strong similarities to hair clutched in Carol Ann’s hand when she was found.

In the most thorough forensic sweep of its kind, 176 men were investigated over the decades, with 141 pubic hair samples tested. Every other man was eliminated — except Schrader.

Even then, progress stalled. It wasn’t until a chilling confession surfaced in 2024 that the case came roaring back with terrifying clarity.

Stepson's Testimony Triggers Final Breakthrough

In a 2024 interview with the Pennsylvania State Police, Robert Leblanc, Schrader’s stepson, came forward with a story no child should ever be forced to carry. Leblanc revealed that Schrader confessed — not once, but twice — to murdering a young girl in a Pennsylvania church.

“He confessed to him on two separate occasions that he murdered a little girl in a Pennsylvania church,” investigators shared, citing Leblanc’s account. Let that sink in. A man burdened by the unthinkable memories of his stepfather finally gave voice to the horrors he had harbored.

According to Leblanc, Schrader lured Carol Ann into the church, raped her, and then killed her to make sure she couldn’t talk — a twisted attempt to erase his evil with silence.

Court Approval and Public Declaration of Final Findings

The Bucks County Grand Jury moved swiftly, calling Schrader “definitively linked” to Carol Ann’s death through old forensic data and new testimony. The findings, wrapped in a 53-page report, were approved by Judge Raymond McHugh in October 2025.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced the results publicly, stating, “We believe it may be the only rape and murder of a little girl in a church in the United States.” Disturbing beyond comprehension — and a grim reminder of evil’s ability to hide in plain sight.

She wasn’t wrong to call Schrader an “absolute predator.” This wasn’t his first atrocity, and tragically, it wasn’t even his last.

A Pattern of Abuse and Murder Spanning Decades

Schrader had a gruesome resume of violent crimes, particularly targeted at the most helpless members of society. In 1985, he was convicted in Louisiana for setting fire to a house, killing 12-year-old Catherine Smith and her family.

Investigators found he had a sickening pattern of abusing nearly every young girl he had access to, including his own daughter and granddaughters. A predator hiding behind domestic familiarity — the kind of danger the woke left wants parents to stop worrying about in the name of “tolerance.”

Schrader died in 2002, taking his secrets to the grave — or so he thought.

A Family's Long-Awaited Closure, Thanks to Persistence

Carol Ann’s family endured more than six decades of unanswered questions. Her sister, Kay Dougherty, said, “My parents both passed away without knowing on this earth who murdered their daughter.”

She added, “Though I know nothing can bring Carol back… we can finally let her rest in peace knowing that her story has been told, her truth revealed, and her memory honored.” That’s dignity. That’s strength. And that’s what justice looks like — late, but better than never.

Much of the credit goes to those who refused to let this story fade. Former Bristol Police Chief Vincent Faragali stayed on the case, and a 2024 podcast by journalist Mike Misanelli helped reignite public interest. Not all media is fake — some of it, when done right, actually matters.