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Heike Leich was 47 when she wandered away from the home she shared with her common-law husband, Jonathan Hawthorne, in the 7900 block of Fishing Creek Valley Road in West Hanover Township at 7:30 p.m. on August 8, 2007, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
Hawthorne reported her missing, noting that she left behind her ID, purse, and medication — she had been diagnosed as bipolar and previously required hospitalization, the Charley Project noted in her missing person profile.
She was of German descent and was fluent in the language, according to the police.
She was described as 5’5”, and 190 lbs, PSP detailed.
The skull was found by a hiker across the street from her home on Fishing Creek Valley Road in 2020. In Feb. 2022, a DNA report confirmed her identity, according to DA Chardo.
"DNA testing established to a practical certainty that it was she," Chardo told Daily Voice. "There were no signs of violence, but we only had part of the body."
This is the second cold case breakthrough Daily Voice has reported on Feb. 20. Click here to read about the DNA match of the remains of 'Sugarloaf Jane Doe'.
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