Troopers: DNA identifies woman killed in 1987 Somerset County wreck

David Hurst, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Jan. 25—SOMERSET, Pa. — Advances in DNA testing allowed state troopers to solve a 35-year-old cold case — identifying a woman who died in a crash in 1987 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Somerset County.

Investigators said the woman, Linda Jean McClure, 26, of Indiana, Pa., was a passenger in a tractor-trailer that crashed on Oct. 22, 1987, in Stonycreek Township.

The tractor-trailer crashed into another tractor-trailer's fuel tank and caught fire, killing her and the truck's driver, a California man, state police said.

For years, investigators had few details to identify the woman because police weren't sure why she was riding in the truck or where she was from, said Myles Snyder, communications director for the state police. An autopsy done at the time confirmed she was a younger woman, and blood samples were secured as evidence, he said.

Over the years, multiple attempts were made to identify her — including a DNA laboratory test in 2019 — "but it didn't provide good enough results" to help investigators close the case, Snyder said.

But the emergence of genome-sequencing technology provided a breakthrough last year, he said. Genomes are DNA instructions found in human cells — their genetic information.

The sample was tested in August by Texas-based Othram Inc., a private forensics-focused laboratory that helps law enforcement officials across the U.S. solve cases, their website shows. Snyder said the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission paid for the test.

The results provided enough DNA details to link the woman to western Pennsylvania, he added.

Police said McClure's family confirmed that McClure hadn't communicated with them since the 1980s — and McClure's brother submitted a DNA sample for comparison that confirmed the match.

"The Pennsylvania Turnpike is pleased we were able to support the state police on this cold case," said Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton. "We hope that this revelation provides long-overdue comfort to Ms. McClure's family."

State Police Maj. Michael Carroll credited investigators for continuing to pursue new leads in the case.

"There were many obstacles in this case, but none that deterred the outcome," said Carroll, commander of PSP Area II. "I commend the troopers who remained dedicated to their duty and ultimately brought closure to this case."