Pennsylvania Cold Case Solved: DNA Names James Richard Clark in 1976–77 Murders

Nearly fifty years after two young women were murdered in Washington County, Pennsylvania, DNA evidence has finally named their killer. Pennsylvania State Police announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, that James Richard Clark Sr., a long-haul trucker who died in 2023, raped and strangled Susan Rush, 21, in November 1976 and Brenda Ritter, 18, six months later. The breakthrough in this Pennsylvania cold case came when DNA analysis proved the same unknown man committed both murders, confirming that a serial killer had been active in the county in 1976 and 1977.

Key Points

• DNA analysis linked the 1976 murder of Susan Rush and the 1977 murder of Brenda Ritter to the same man, James Richard Clark Sr.
• Clark, a long-haul trucker who lived in the Washington area, was 19 at Rush’s murder and 20 at Ritter’s, and was never a suspect while alive.
• Cybergenetics’ TrueAllele software matched the DNA profiles from both crime scenes with a match strength of about one million.
• Clark died of natural causes in July 2023 at the age of 66, so he will never face prosecution.
• Police believe Clark may have had more victims and are continuing to investigate his past, while both victims’ families have asked for privacy.

What Happened

The announcement, made at a news conference on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, ended five decades of unanswered questions for two families in southwestern Pennsylvania. Susan Rush, a 21-year-old clerk, was last seen leaving the shopping centre where she worked on Thanksgiving Eve, November 25, 1976, on her way to church. She never arrived. The next morning, her body was found in the trunk of her own car. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Six months later, in May 1977, 18-year-old Brenda Ritter left her boyfriend’s house on a stormy night and never came home. Her body was found on a hill the following day, in a field about two miles from where Rush had been found. She, too, had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The files went cold until investigators submitted DNA from both crime scenes for fresh analysis in 2025.

Background and Context

Washington County sits in southwestern Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. In the mid-1970s it was a quiet, close-knit corner of the state, and the murders of two young women within six months shocked the community. But DNA profiling was still years away from routine police work, and the evidence collected at both scenes sat in storage for decades. That wait ended in 2025, when investigators sent DNA from both crime scenes to biotechnology firms including Cybergenetics Corp, Othram and PTC Laboratories.

Pennsylvania Cold Case: How DNA Linked Two Murders

The turning point came from Pittsburgh-based Cybergenetics Corp and its TrueAllele software. In May 2025, the Pennsylvania State Police sent the company DNA data from both cases and asked one question: did the two crime scenes share DNA from the same unknown person? The evidence was far from straightforward. The Susan Rush swab contained a sperm fraction taken from green pants, while the Brenda Ritter swab showed spermatozoa recovered from pubic hair, and different laboratories had developed the DNA data using different testing kits.

TrueAllele isolated the unknown male genotypes from each sample and compared them, finding a match strength of about one million. “This new cold-case DNA lead linked the two cases to the same unknown man – the serial killer,” Cybergenetics said. “TrueAllele analysis confirmed there was a serial killer in Washington County during the 1976 to 1977 timeframe.”

Later work by public and private DNA investigators traced that unknown profile to James Richard Clark Sr. Clark was a long-haul trucker who lived in the Washington area at the time of the murders. He was never a suspect while alive, and died of natural causes in July 2023 at 66.

Reactions

Police confirmed the identification at the November 4 news conference, announcing that Clark committed the sexual assaults and homicides of both women. Investigators said they believe Clark may have had more victims and are continuing to examine his past, including his movements as a long-haul trucker, a job that would have taken him across many states over the years. The families of both victims have asked for privacy as they absorb the news, nearly fifty years after losing their daughters.

Why It Matters

The Clark identification matters for three reasons. First, it gives two families the truth about what happened to their daughters, after half a century of waiting. Second, it confirms that a serial killer was operating in Washington County in 1976 and 1977,. Third, it shows that no cold case is ever truly closed while evidence survives. DNA held in storage for decades can still speak, and modern analysis can now connect crimes that were investigated in isolation. The same lesson is being learned across the country, including a Utah cold case closed after 52 years when DNA linked Ted Bundy to the murder of Melissa Smith, 17.

What Happens Next

There will be no trial. Clark died in July 2023, so he can never be prosecuted for the murders of Susan Rush and Brenda Ritter. Instead, investigators will now focus on his past, reviewing unsolved murders of young women along the routes he drove as a long-haul trucker. Anyone with information about Clark or his movements in the 1970s is urged to contact the Pennsylvania State Police. For the families of Susan Rush and Brenda Ritter, it finally puts a name to the man who took their daughters – fifty years late, but no longer unknown. Read more crime coverage from US News Pulse, including the Bloomington, Illinois shooting update, in which 19-year-old Gianna Dettloff was named as the victim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was James Richard Clark Sr.?

A long-haul trucker from the Washington area of Pennsylvania in the 1970s. DNA has identified him as the man who raped and murdered Susan Rush in 1976 and Brenda Ritter in 1977. He was never a suspect while alive and died of natural causes in July 2023 at 66.

Who were Susan Rush and Brenda Ritter?

Susan Rush, 21, was a clerk last seen leaving work on Thanksgiving Eve, November 25, 1976, on her way to church. Brenda Ritter, 18, was murdered six months later after leaving her boyfriend’s house on a stormy night in May 1977. Both were sexually assaulted and strangled in Washington County.

How did DNA solve the case after 50 years?

In 2025, investigators submitted DNA from both crime scenes to biotechnology firms including Cybergenetics Corp. Its TrueAllele software isolated the unknown male genotypes and matched them with a strength of about one million, proving the same man committed both murders. Later DNA work identified him as Clark.

Why will Clark never be prosecuted?

Clark died of natural causes in July 2023 at 66, three years before police announced his identification. Because he is dead, he cannot be charged or tried.

Could Clark have killed other people?

Police believe he may have had more victims and are continuing to investigate his past. As a long-haul trucker, Clark travelled widely, so investigators are likely to review other unsolved cases from the 1970s along his routes.