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David Zandstra, now 83 years old, originally a pastor from New Jersey but most recently of Marietta, Georgia, is charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping a minor, and related counts, said District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer's Office in a release on Monday, July 24.
“The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975," the DA said.
"The families of victims often say that their lives are forever altered into the 'before' time and the 'after' time. Gretchen’s murder created a 'before' time and an 'after' time for an entire community – and for an entire county."
Harrington, of Marple, (Delaware County, PA) was last seen heading to her summer Bible camp around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 15, 1975, according to county investigators.
The camp she attended would meet at Zandstra's parish, Trinity Church at 140 Lawrence Road, before heading to Reformed Presbyterian Church in Chester County, where her father was the pastor, authorities said.
After leading "opening exercises" at Trinity Church, police say Zandstra was one of the adults responsible for "transporting the children" back to Reformed Church, and that "he would do so in either a white/blue Volkswagen bus or in his green Rambler station wagon."
On the day of her disappearance, Harrington never showed up at Reformed. Her father "became concerned" and reported her missing to Marple Township Police before 11:30 a.m. that morning, according to the DA.
Her skeletal remains were found months later in Ridley Creek State Park, Edgemont Township on Oct. 14, 1975, officials said.
The coroner determined she died of blunt impacts to the head, which he classified as a homicide.
During the initial investigation, a witness told police they saw 8-year-old Gretchen "speaking with the driver of either a green station wagon or a two-tone Cadillac." Zandstra was interviewed around that time but denied seeing her on the morning of her disappearance, authorities said.
The trail went cold for nearly 48 years until January 2023, when detectives spoke with an old friend of Zandstra's daughter. The witness told investigators that she once woke up during a sleepover at Zandstra's house to find the pastor "groping her groin area," said the DA.
When the witness told Zandstra's daughter about it, she reportedly replied that her dad "did that sometimes."
The witness also showed detectives a page from her 1975 diary, where she writes about a child in her class nearly being kidnapped twice. The witness wrote at the time that she believed Zandstra was the attempted abductor, investigators said.
After speaking with the witness, detectives traveled to Marietta, Georgia to interview Zandstra on Monday, July 17. He initially denied any knowledge of the 8-year-old's murder, but police say he changed his story, "after being confronted with the evidence (...) of his sexual misconduct."
"He admitted to offering Gretchen a ride and taking her to a nearby wooded area," the DA's Office said. "(Zandstra) stated that he had parked the car and asked the victim to remove her clothing."
"When she refused, he struck her in the head with a fist," prosecutors continued. "The victim was bleeding, and he believed her to be dead. He attempted to cover up her body and left the area."
“Justice does not have an expiration date," said Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Jonathan Sunderlin. "This case has been investigated by generations of detectives, and they all are owed a debt of gratitude for never giving up."
Zandstra was arrested in Georgia and denied bail, DA Stollsteimer said. He remains in a Cobb County prison pending his extradition back to Pennslyvania.
His DNA will be compared with evidence from open cases across the country, officials added.
Zandstra also lived in Texas, and anyone with information on "his activities" there or in Georgia is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police at 610-579-0429.
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