Adams County unsolved cases: These four mysteries remain active decades later
Kaitlin GreenockleWhen it comes to crimes, there is usually a redundant cycle that takes place. A crime is committed, it is reported to police, police investigate, police find a suspect, suspect goes to court, suspect is found either innocent or guilty.
But what happens to the cases where a suspect is never found? The cycle stops at the investigation stage, and in some cases, is stuck there for decades.
The Evening Sun's unsolved cases series dives into those cases in the Hanover area and Adams County, sharing the stories of victims who are yet to find justice.
These cases aren't cold; they are unsolved. Cold implies that no one is working on them, but in these cases, investigators are still actively searching for answers.
Mother found dead in bedroom (1962)
On Oct. 24, 1962, Rosalie Isabella Paxton, 40, was found dead in her Gardners area home by her two daughters, 14 and 11, when they came home from school.
She was found in her bedroom with stab wounds to her neck and chest.
When the girls found their mother, they immediately called their father, Kermit Paxton, who was working at Kuhn Trucking Company. He then called police.
At about 8:30 a.m., Paxton went to a beauty shop to have her hair done and left to go home about two hours later.
Kermit Paxton spoke to his wife at about noon to tell her he would not be home for lunch.
Paxton is believed to have drank a cup of coffee shortly before her time of death, which was placed between 2 and 2:30 p.m.
An autopsy revealed that Paxton died of a puncture wound to her subclavian artery in her neck. It also showed bruising to the side of her face and neck, indicating that she had also been strangled.
Testing also showed that Paxton had been sexually assaulted.
Her purse was found opened and emptied on her bedroom dressing table but nothing other than the money in her purse appeared to be taken.
There were signs of a violent struggle in the living room, but no signs of struggle in the bedroom where Paxton was believed to have been stabbed.
A butcher knife, scissors and a smaller knife were all found near Paxton's body.
A $1,000 reward was offered by the Paxton family, which was later increased to $5,000 in hopes of finding the killer.
In 1965, the Baltimore County homicide of Gertrude Gerlovich seemed to resemble Paxton's death.
Gerlovich was found slain in her home on Dec. 15, 1965, and police did find similarities between the two cases, but they did not reveal what the similarities were because of the investigation.
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Scott Denisch said that police did find broken fingernails at the scene of Paxton's homicide that were sent for testing, but they had negative results.
A delivery man was considered a suspect in the case, but he died in 1975, Denisch said.
Source: The Evening Sun archives and PSP Trooper Scott Denisch
Hoffman Homes runaway (1975)
On July 8, 1975, Tracy King, 14, ran away from Hoffman Homes, 815 Orphanage Rd, Littlestown, and still has not been located. King had run away four times before.
There was no concrete evidence that this case was a homicide, and police continue to re-interview people in relation to this case.
A DNA sample provided to police by her mother, Patricia Houseman, was entered into the missing persons database.
On the 35th anniversary of King's disappearance, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued a press release asking for the public's help in finding King.
They also released a computer-generated photo of what King would have looked like as an adult.
King was staying at Hoffman Homes for personal problems, but she still stayed in contact with her family.
Police assume foul play was involved because of her age and because she never showed up again.
At the time of her disappearance, King was 5-foot-3, 110 pounds, had red hair and blue eyes. She also had a scar on her right ankle and pockmarks on her temple.
Source: The Evening Sun archives and PSP Trooper Scott Denisch
Shot, dumped on side of road (1977)
On Nov. 16, 1977, Martin Putill Hogan III, 40, of Coventry, Rhode Island, was found shot and dumped on the side of Friends Creek Road in Carroll Valley Borough.
Hogan was believed to have been on a business trip and was staying at the Ramada Inn in Hagerstown, Maryland.
He was last seen at the Venice Motel Lounge, in the 400 block of Dual Highway, Hagerstown, on Nov. 15.
He was shot in the back and chest with a .38 caliber handgun and was found dead by a passing motorist.
It did not appear that Hogan was shot where he was found, and he was stripped of all identification.
Police believe that the suspect or suspects removed his identification to slow down the investigation.
According to Robert Lefever, who was the Adams County Coroner at the time, Hogan was shot at least twice in the back and chest. He was also dead between 12 and 15 hours before his body was found at about 1 p.m.
Hogan was fully clothed, and an autopsy revealed that his cause of death was hemorrhaging of his aorta.
When Hogan did not return home when expected, his wife, Charlotte Hogan, notified the authorities.
Police also believed that Hogan had been involved in an extramarital affair.
Source: The Evening Sun archives and PSP Trooper Scott Denisch
Unable to escape burning home (1981)
On Aug. 29, 1981, Donna Marie Wagaman, 18, died after an unknown suspect threw a fire bomb into her Aspers area home.
Wagaman was a paraplegic who was unable to get out of the burning home and died of smoke inhalation.
She was found in a second floor bedroom of the Center Mills Road home, and police believe a gas fire bomb was thrown into the living room.
Eight other occupants of the home, including Wagaman's mother and stepfather, were able to escape.
Wagaman's mother was treated for burns at the Warner Hospital, which is now WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital.
There was a reported dispute between the Wagamans and another family, which police believe could have been a possible motive.
Source: The Evening Sun archives and PSP Trooper Scott Denisch
Anyone with information on any of these cases should call Pennsylavnia State Police Gettysburg at 717-334-8111 and ask to speak with Trooper Scott Denisch.
Kaitlin Greenockle covers crime in the Hanover area and Adams County. Reach her at 717-634-3086 and follow her on Twitter @kaitlinroseg.