Pennsylvania State Police have identified the severed head and dismembered remains that were found scattered along interstates in Monroe and Lackawanna counties late last month as a woman who has been missing since mid-January.
On the morning of Jan. 29, a state Department of Transportation crew was spreading salt on Interstate 380 in Coolbaugh Township when they discovered a trash bag in the median that appeared to contain human remains.
When state police arrived on the scene, they confirmed the discovery and closed down I-380, while approximately 20 state troopers searched a 15-mile stretch of the highway, along with a 5-mile radius along nearby Interstate 80. During the search, a total of eight trash bags – containing human remains and a severed head – were discovered along the interstates.
"It was very disgusting,'' Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine Jr. said in an interview with Morning Call. ''When they retrieved the head in my presence, it was gruesome. It appeared that the head had been cleanly sawed from the rest of the body.''
On Jan. 30, the Monroe County Coroner's Office conducted an autopsy on the remains, at which time they determined the victim was a Caucasian female with dark hair. The age of the victim was not immediately clear; however, the coroner was able to determine that she was heavy-set and about 5 feet 7 inches tall. The autopsy results also showed the victim suffered "multiple violent injuries, any of which caused her death," state police said in a press release.
Since the case has been officially ruled a homicide, state police have refused to release further details on the condition of the body.
During the course of the last week, state police investigators have conducted additional searches of local highways and have incorporated the use of cadaver dogs and a helicopter; however, they have yet to find more of the victim’s remains.
"At this point, no, we are not confident we have found all the pieces. We have certainly done a search of Interstate 80 in Monroe, Carbon, Luzerne, and Columbia counties. Again, could something be dumped down the side, certainly," state police Lt. Robert Bartal told The Associated Press.
The location of the body-part-filled bags seems to suggest the killer wanted the victim to be found. The method in which the body was disposed – the dismemberment – also suggests this may not be the first time this killer has struck.
"To drive along and drop off body parts, at the very least, he didn't care. Perhaps he considers the victim to be nothing but trash and he wanted to show the world what a piece of trash this person was," retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Gregg McCrary said in an interview with Poconorecord.com. "Sometimes we see caring for the victim … In this case, that is totally absent. I'd be surprised if he were guilt-ridden about this. It takes some effort to dismember a body."
When the family of 36-year-old Deanna Maria Null heard the description of the victim they contacted state police and notified them that their daughter had not been seen since mid-January. Deanna lived a transient life and it was not uncommon for her to go a length of time without making contact with her family; however, the media coverage of the murder victim gave them cause for concern.
On Monday, state police announced that the Monroe County Coroner's Office had used dental records to positively identify the victim as Deanna. Since that time, few details have been released on her life and whether her identification has provided police with any clues to the killer’s identity.
Deanna’s murder may have been an isolated incident; however, until her killer is caught one can’t help but wonder if more victims will soon follow …
Anyone with information about this case should call the Pennsylvania State Police at 570-839-7701.
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