Marise Ann Chiverella
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State police released a DNA profile in March 2019 of a man they say raped and killed 9-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella in Hazle Township in March 1964. Picture is a DNA profile showing the man at 25 years old.
Age 40
Age 60
WEST HAZLETON — State police at Hazleton believe they have solved a near 58-year old mystery into the homicide of 9-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella.
A news conference is scheduled for later this week when state police investigators are expected to release the identity of the suspect who kidnapped, raped and killed Chiverella in March 1964.
“Marise Ann Chiverella was raped and murdered on Wednesday, March 18, 1964. This investigation has been reviewed annually and since 2007, the killer’s DNA profile has been checked monthly against all new entries into the DNA databases. Through investigation, a suspect was developed and identified as the assailant of this brutal crime, solving the 57-year-old cold case,” a state police, Troop N, news release says.
In March 2019, state police and Luzerne County Deputy District Attorney Dan Zola held a news conference to highlight that bodily fluid recovered from the girl was used to create a facial image of a man they say probably killed her.
Chiverella left her house on Alter Street in Hazleton at about 8 a.m. on March 18, 1964, to walk the two blocks to school at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic School. On the short walk, she was kidnapped, raped and strangled to death.
Her body was found later that day nearly 3 miles away at an abandoned strip mine in the Milnesville section of Hazle Township. Canned goods the girl was carrying to donate at the school were found near the body. Her shoes were found further away, along with a pocketbook and a school bag.
Bodily fluids recovered from Chiverella’s body were sent to Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia.
The company, which has helped authorities solve many cold cases, created an image of what the killer could look like including the color of their skin, eyes and hair.
The DNA analysis narrowed suspects to having tan and fair skin, green or hazel eyes and medium brown hair, describing the probable killer as being European, specifically from Italy, Greece or Middle Eastern descent, according to information released during the March 2019 news conference.
More information will be released Thursday when state police will hold the news conference to release details of the suspect.