In 1962, a 9-year-old girl was murdered on the roof of a church. Police have identified his killer

More than six decades after a nine-year-old girl was raped and murdered in the choir room of a Catholic church pennsylvaniaInvestigators say they have finally identified her killer – a serial rapist whose crimes spanned several states.

William Schrader, an Army veteran who was dishonorably discharged at the time of the murder, was officially named this week as the man who murdered Carol Ann Dougherty inside St. Mark’s Church on October 22, 1962.

Schrader died in 2002, but “his name is now definitively linked to the crime that took Carol Ann’s young life,” according to Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn.

Carol Ann’s younger sister Kay Talanca, who is also her only surviving relative, wiped away tears while talking about the case at a press conference this week. He thanked a local reporter and a podcaster for keeping the case alive long after it was shelved.

“I stand before you with deep sorrow but with great gratitude,” Talanka said. “Because of you, my family has found the truth it has sought for six decades. Although nothing can bring Carol back, we can finally let her rest in peace, the truth has been revealed.”

The breakthrough brings closure to one of Bucks County’s most gruesome cold cases – a mystery that has plagued a community and a grieving family for generations.

A confession and a DNA match

According to the District Attorney’s Office, on the day of her murder, Carol Ann was seen riding her bicycle toward the Bristol Borough Free Library, planning to return two books and watch one of her favorite mystery series.

She stopped at Tommy’s on Farragut Avenue to get a Coke and penny candy and was then seen traveling toward Lincoln Avenue. He was last seen alive outside St. Mark’s Church. When she did not return home for dinner, her parents became worried and went out to look for her. It was his father who made the unimaginable discovery.

Inside the church loft, Carol Ann was raped and strangled to death.

For decades, investigators suspected Schrader, a 20-year-old man who lived just a block and a half from Lincoln Avenue and was seen near the church that afternoon.

The district attorney’s office said he failed a polygraph, lied about his alibi and fled the city shortly after police questioning. But without solid evidence, prosecutors could not make a case.

This changed in 2024, when Shredder’s stepson, Robert LeBlanc, came forward. LeBlanc told authorities that before his death in 2002, Schrader had confessed to raping and murdering a little girl pennsylvaniaSchrader said that “he had to hit the girl in Bristol to stop her from talking.”

LeBlanc’s account, which included details that have never been made public, proved to be the final piece investigators needed.

Recent DNA analysis of a hair stuck to Carol Ann’s hand matches that of the shredder. With confessions, eyewitness accounts, and decades of corroborating evidence, the Bucks County Grand Jury concluded that “the investigation allows only the conclusion” that Schrader raped and murdered Carol Ann.

life of violence

According to investigators, Schrader grew up in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and was violent almost his entire life. Schroder was known to attack young girls by punching them in the face, beginning at the age of eight, Schorn said.

For years, he spent time in and out of reform school. At the age of 17, he joined the army, but after a year he was dishonorably discharged. A short time later, he was convicted of attempted murder after shooting a man and spent time in Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

After his release from prison, he settled in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where he met the younger Carol Ann.

“Unbeknownst to Carol Ann and unbeknownst to everyone in Bristol Borough, there was a complete predator living on Lincoln Avenue,” Schorn said. “A predator whose prey were little girls. And that was William Schrader.”

After the murder, Schrader fled Pennsylvania and moved to Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, leaving a trail of violence behind him. Authorities said he married in Louisiana but sexually assaulted his wife’s disabled daughters and two girls raised by the couple.

On Halloween in 1970, he set fire to his family’s home after threatening to “burn the house down and kill everyone inside.” NBC Philadelphia.

One of the foster children, 12-year-old Katherine Smith, died protecting her sister. Schrader was convicted of murder and arson and sentenced to 21 years in prison. He died in 2002 at the age of 62.

“This man committed intergenerational sexual abuse of every woman and child in his life, and he didn’t stop until the day he died,” Schorn said.

long wait for justice

The new grand jury’s findings, detailed in a 53-page report, bring long-awaited closure to a family that never stopped searching for answers.

“For more than six decades, this tragic case has troubled the community and caused Carol Ann’s family unimaginable pain,” Schorn said.

Investigators credited modern forensic testing, the stepson’s testimony and years of police work for finally solving one of Pennsylvania’s oldest child murder cases.

“The search for justice that began in 1962 has finally reached its conclusion,” Schorn said.

“We hope this resolution can finally bring a sense of peace to Carol Ann’s family and all those affected by this tragic crime.”