PA PA - Susan Rush, 21, Washington County, 24 November 1976

[Fede]

On November 24, 1976 Susan E. Rush, 21, left her job at the Washington Mall, reportedly with plans to join her family at church. She never arrived. The next morning her car was found parked along North Avenue in Washington, her home town. Susan´s body was in the trunk. She had been raped and strangled.
DNA evidence has linked unknown men to the 1976 strangulation of Susan and the 1977 rape and strangulation near Wheeling of Roberta Ann Elam, a 26-year-old postulate nun. Maybe with advanced DNA technology they will find a match soon.

Here are more details on the case:
DNA key to unsolved murders | TribLIVE.com
Susan Rush (1955-1976) - Find A Grave Memorial
Stalking the Strangler

 

[Richard]

A series of local murders began with Rush, who vanished at about 6:10 p.m. Nov. 24, 1976 after leaving her job at Murphy's department store in the Washington Mall in South Strabane.

Her body was found shortly after 9 a.m. the next day, when her brother Gary Rush spotted her vehicle parked along North Avenue, less than a mile from the mall. Her car doors were locked and her body was in the trunk, hastily clad in pants and a turtleneck that was inside-out.

Rush had been strangled with a piece of string or leather, according to the autopsy report. There were no bruises or scratches on the body, except for the ligature marks, and tests showed Rush had sex shortly before her death, which occurred about midnight.

If she submitted to sex, it was only to save her life, according to Rush's family. She was a deeply religious person who never had been on a date.

LINK:

Stalking the Strangler