PA PA - Ed, 30, & Stephanie Hunsberger, 24, King of Prussia, 25 Feb 1978

[Onfortuneswheel]

I also have a few questions about Ed and Stephanie. How did they meet? How long had they been together? How long had they been addicts? Had they always lived with the Smiths? Does anyone know what became of the Smiths other daughter?

I've seen conflicting stories but from what I've been able to gather, Stephanie left Pennsylvania after graduating from Upper Merion HS in 1972. She apparently traveled a bit and returned to Pennsylvania in the summer of 1976, having been living in California (the mother, also Stephanie, was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in 1976, so I'm wondering if that's why she returned).

Stephanie and Eddie met in early 1977 after Eddie noticed Stephanie crying on a street corner in downtown Philadelphia. They were married a few months later. Of note, Stephanie was also arrested for prostitution on February 17, 1977 (you can look up the docket record on the Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal). I actually wonder if this is how they met. Eddie was on probation at the time for robbery charges. It places both of them at the courthouse.

If I remember correctly, part of the conditions for both Stephanie's and Eddie's probation was that they get clean and attend rehab clinics. It was what prompted them to move in with her father in the fall of 1977. The hope was that Upper Merion was far enough away from their friends in Philadelphia who were supplying them with drugs. Stephanie began receiving treatment at a methadone clinic in Norristown. Eddie first went to clinics in Philadelphia, and later in Pottstown, Montgomery County.

An interesting side note is that the robberies at local Sears stores started the same month the Hunsbergers' moved into Smith residence.

Stephanie and Edward continued making their court mandated appointments at the methadone clinics until their disappearance in February 1978. A bench warrant was issued for Eddie's arrest in September 1978 for probation violations.

Newspaper articles from Smith's trial talked about how he filed for financial hardship since all of his money was going towards a trust to take care of his daughter, Char, who was institutionalized. When he was released from prison, he moved to the Wilkes-Barre area in order to be closer to her.

 

[CarlK90245]

I read Echoes in the Darkness back in 2010.

The one little tantalizing tidbit regarding the fate of the Reinert children comes at page 206 where Vince Valatis (one of Bradfield's acolytes) pounds his fist on the table and tells Bradfield that he is not going to go to jail for him.

Bill Bradfield got mad too. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and said "If I'm going to be blamed for murder, then I might as well admit it. Here, I'll show you how I did it."

He drew a square with a little line. He said "I took the children and I gave them to ..."

But Vince snatched the paper and crumpled it up and threw it on the floor, saying "Don't do that! Don't make things up!"

...

At a later time, he would swear that Bill Bradfield said "Smith." He would remember that it was "I gave them to Smith". Years and memories are tricky. Bill Bradfield may or may not have said "Smith". The implication seemed clear, but Vince learned that lawyers worry a great deal about such things.

 

[cutter99]

I've tried to find information on Smith's other daughter. She was not even mentioned in this obituary.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/15smith.html

 

[CarlK90245]

I just saw this new 1980 listing in NamUs - a white female, 20-40 found bound and dismembered in an abandoned house in Philadelphia. Badly decomposed with an estimated DOD between 1978 and 1980 About 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Unidentified Person Case

Anyone suppose this might be Stephanie?

Cheryl Moser Iacovone might be a possible too, but she is a little younger than the age estimate.

 

[wendybtn]

I just saw this new 1980 listing in NamUs - a white female, 20-40 found bound and dismembered in an abandoned house in Philadelphia. Badly decomposed with an estimated DOD between 1978 and 1980 About 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Unidentified Person Case

Anyone suppose this might be Stephanie?

Cheryl Moser Iacovone might be a possible too, but she is a little younger than the age estimate.

Stephanie was in that age range when she disappeared and her skeleton could appear older due to her heroin addiction and lifestyle.
Jay Smith and his wife are both deceased. The other daughter may have changed her name and tried to get lost herself.
I wonder if there is a male skeleton in the vicinity anywhere.

 

[Alleykins]

I just saw this new 1980 listing in NamUs - a white female, 20-40 found bound and dismembered in an abandoned house in Philadelphia. Badly decomposed with an estimated DOD between 1978 and 1980 About 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Unidentified Person Case

Anyone suppose this might be Stephanie?

Cheryl Moser Iacovone might be a possible too, but she is a little younger than the age estimate.

Stephanie is a good possibility.

 

[wendybtn]

It is almost never mentioned anywhere, but Jay Smith (Upper Marion HS Principal and co-conspirator in the Reinert murder and disappearances) had a daughter and son-in-law who are also missing.

Edward Hale Hunsberger and Stephanie Smith-Hunsberger disappeared in the late 1970's. They aren't listed in NamUs or any other missing persons sites.

I believe, from reading Echoes In The Darkness, Jay Smith bullied and threatened Ed Hunsberger's parents against reporting them missing and Mrs. Smith wouldn't do anything against her husband.

 

[Marika Fonteno]

Yay or nay ?

 

[cutter99]

Could be a possibility, especially if you compare this to some of the photos of Ed on the second page here. I do wonder if this individual is Hispanic though.

 

[Marika Fonteno]

I don’t think neither of them are Hispanic
Let me know what u think these are their namus account also my findings lol and I already notified the detective working on the case and she is going to look into it

________________________________
From: <modsnipped please do not post personal information or email accounts>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2018 7:43 PM
To: Kneeland, Christine (Paige)
Subject: Re: Case# 80-003479 John Doe 1980 Southside Park

This is the only match that comes close Based on
Edward was a bad drug addict explains weight loss stretch marks on John Doe
Edward was on the run John Doe seen in burger king in greyhound station
Edward was in navy stationed in San Francisco that could explain scars on body
Edward was involved in armed robberies && distribution of drugs So I'm sure he had some type of money to escape out of town maybe get his teeth fixed
Edwards family said someone told them he owed a lot of drug dealers money so he's hiding out in California
Resembles a little bit but the composite sketch is pretty bad on the John Doe Also can't find too much information on Edward scars surgery etc. but this is definitely something to look into height weight and dates also on point , it is possible
If he had drugs and money this could have been a armed robbery selling to the wrong person he's from out of town Here is a link for Edward hunsberger

Missing Person Case


Unidentified Person Case

 

[Marika Fonteno]

I don’t think neither of them are Hispanic
Let me know what u think these are their namus account also my findings lol and I already notified the detective working on the case and she is going to look into it

________________________________
From: <modsnip: removed identifying information>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2018 7:43 PM
To: Kneeland, Christine (Paige)
Subject: Re: Case# 80-003479 John Doe 1980 Southside Park

This is the only match that comes close Based on
Edward was a bad drug addict explains weight loss stretch marks on John Doe
Edward was on the run John Doe seen in burger king in greyhound station
Edward was in navy stationed in San Francisco that could explain scars on body
Edward was involved in armed robberies && distribution of drugs So I'm sure he had some type of money to escape out of town maybe get his teeth fixed
Edwards family said someone told them he owed a lot of drug dealers money so he's hiding out in California
Resembles a little bit but the composite sketch is pretty bad on the John Doe Also can't find too much information on Edward scars surgery etc. but this is definitely something to look into height weight and dates also on point , it is possible
If he had drugs and money this could have been a armed robbery selling to the wrong person he's from out of town Here is a link for Edward hunsberger

Missing Person Case


Unidentified Person Case

 

[Renzolla]

What about http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/566umpa.html for Ed?*

 

[Chr1stina1994]

Do you know where exactly she lived? What number house? It's a small but big road but a point of location could maybe come up on relator sites

[/QUOTE]

 

[Richard]

Edward Hale Hunsberger, age 30

Stephanie Hunsberger, age 24

The last verified sighting of Stephanie and Edward was on February 25, 1978, when they visited Edward's parents in North Wales, Pennsylvania. When they left, Edward told his mother, "We'll be back a little later." His parents never saw either of them again.

After several weeks with no contact, the Edward's parents got in touch with Smith to ask where Edward and Stephanie were. Smith said the couple owned a significant amount of money to drug dealers and had fled to California.

They left all their belongings behind, including their toothbrushes and an uncashed income tax return. Smith later admitted he cashed at least two of Stephanie's welfare checks after her disappearance and kept the money for himself.

Edward was on probation at the time of his disappearance; he'd been convicted of armed robbery in 1975. He was required to seek treatment for his drug addiction and keep in touch with his probation officer. Edward and Stephanie had a scheduled appointment with a methadone clinic in February 1978, but neither of them showed up for it...

LINKS:

Edward Hale Hunsberger – The Charley Project

Stephanie Hunsberger – The Charley Project

 

[Jacqueline Homan]

Do you know where exactly she lived? What number house? It's a small but big road but a point of location could maybe come up on relator sites

Stephanie and Eddie Hunsberger last lived with Stephanie's parents, Dr. Jay C. Smith and Stephanie Smith (nee´ Zdun), at 705 W. Valley Forge Rd. on the outskirts of King of Prussia. Jay Smith was implicated in the murders of Susan Reinert and the murders and disappearance of her two kids, Karen - age 11 and Michael - age 10, back in 1979. I've followed the Reinert case for decades. Karen would be my age - 54 - if she were she alive today, so this hits close to home for me since I grew up in Philly. Having read all four books on that crime - Engaged to Murder by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, Echoes in the Darkness by Joseph Wambaugh, Principal Suspect by William Costopoulos, and Joseph Wambaugh and the Jay Smith Case by Dr. Jay C. Smith himself - there's one glaring fact that stands out to me: Coke slag or some similar industrial ash residue was found on part of Susan Reinert's car.

Now this is key because coke furnaces burn much hotter than a regular crematorium oven used in your typical mortuary, which cremates human remains at around 1400˚F. Blast furnaces for producing coke for the manufacturing of steel burn at around 3600˚F - 4100˚F, which is hot enough to completely destroy a human body, including bones and teeth, leaving nothing left at all.

Back in 1979, there were still several coke furnaces and steel plants in full operation in Phoenixville. One of them is still in operation today and is located in a remote area on the outskirts of Phoenixville, which is only about a 15-20 minute drive from Jay Smith's home on W. Valley Forge Rd. in King of Prussia. If Smith killed the Reinert kids and also his elder daughter Stephanie and his son-in-law, Eddie Hunsberger and disposed of their bodies so that they'd never be found, a coke furnace would be ideal for that.

 

[Kimkimba]

I was browsing NamUs and you know how it goes - here I am. I’m about the age of Susan’s children and grew up outside of Philadelphia (and I’m still here).

I knew about Susan Reinert and her children, but I totally missed these two. They must not have been in the news much.

 

[cutter99]

I was browsing NamUs and you know how it goes - here I am. I’m about the age of Susan’s children and grew up outside of Philadelphia (and I’m still here).

I knew about Susan Reinert and her children, but I totally missed these two. They must not have been in the news much.

I was raised in the same area @Kimkimba, and while I remember Susan Reinert and her children, I did not hear anything about the Hunsbergers until reading about them here or they were mentioned in a book about the Reinert murders.

It is sad that their loved ones have no answers about what happened to the Hunsbergers.