Courtney Balcombe – Opinion Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

On October 4, 2022 Pennsylvania State Police confirmed the identity of remains from November 2012 discovered in Luzerne County. The victim is confirmed to be 14-year-old Joan Dymond of Wilkes-Barre. 

According to Philly Voice, Dymond went missing from Andover Street Park in Wilkes-Barre on June 25, 1969. She had told her parents after dinner that she was going there, but she never returned. The Pennsylvania State application are now asking the public to help identify the person responsible for her death.

“We never stopped pursuing answers, and this investigation remains very active,” Captain Patrick Dougherty, commanding officer of PSP Troop P, said. “After 53 years, the family of Joan Marie Dymond very much deserves closure. We will do everything in our power to see that they have it.”

Dymond’s remains were found when people digging for relics at the property of a former coal mining operation in Newport Township stumbled upon the remains, including a skull, in a trash-filled depression in the ground. Her remains were then taken and labeled as Jane “Newport” Doe.

The Philly Voice continued that in 2018, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also became involved in 2018. It compiled lists of missing children who could possibly match the victim’s description and conducted public record searches.

By March 2022, the remains were submitted to Othram, Inc. to undergo genetic genealogy testing. The corporation specializes in using forensic genealogy to resolve unsolved murders or disappearances, as well as identifying unknown victims.

As of October 11, State Police have not released Dymond’s cause of death or revealed whether they have any suspects.