Authorities have identified the killer of a 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered more than 60 years ago in Pennsylvania. Carol Ann Dougherty was attacked on October 22, 1962, while walking to the library near St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in Bristol. The Bucks County District Attorney's office announced the development at a news conference.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn stated, "We believe it may be the only rape and murder of a little girl in a church in the United States." A grand jury investigation has linked the crime to William Schrader, who was described by Schorn as an "absolute predator." Schrader passed away in 2002, but authorities have now connected him to the murder through a combination of old evidence and recent investigative breakthroughs.

At the time of the murder, a witness reported seeing Schrader, who lived nearby, outside the church. He was questioned by police but failed a polygraph test and was found to have lied about his alibi. After realizing he was a suspect, Schrader left Pennsylvania and moved to the South.

The DA's office revealed that Schrader had a history of violence and sexual offenses, particularly against young girls. Investigators found that he had "sexually abused nearly every female child he lived with or had access to."

A significant piece of evidence was a pubic hair collected from Schrader during the initial investigation. Testing in the 1990s showed "significant similarities" to hair found in Carol Ann’s hand. Out of 141 pubic hair samples tested over the years, all other individuals were eliminated as suspects.

A breakthrough occurred last year when investigators spoke with Schrader’s stepson. He reported that Schrader had confessed to him on two occasions about murdering a girl in a Pennsylvania church. According to the stepson, Schrader claimed he lured Carol Ann inside, raped her, and felt he had to kill her to prevent her from speaking.

Carol Ann’s sister, Kay Dougherty, expressed the impact of the murder on their family during the news conference. "Our family lived without answers and the uncertainty surrounding Carol's death became a part of who we were," she said, visibly emotional. "My parents both passed away without knowing on this earth who murdered their daughter. ... After so many decades of unknowing, this finding finally brings closure and a truth to a wound that never healed."