Body of Missing Ohio Woman Found in Rural Pennsylvania Field

November 09, 2009

The body of a missing Ohio woman that had been dumped in a Pennsylvania field was found this past weekend, sparking a nationwide manhunt for the woman's alleged killer.

According to officials with the Pennsylvania State Police, the body was found Saturday afternoon near Platz and Sterrettania roads in Erie County, Pa. Police say a local resident made the discovery when he went to inspect debris that someone had dumped the day before in a field near his house. Upon further inspection, the man discovered the body wrapped up inside a rug.

Jack Daneri, district attorney for Erie County, told the Erie Times News that the victim had a "number of wounds" that appeared to have been caused by a "sharp force instrument." As a result, the cause of death was listed as "suspicious."

State police, with assistance from the Erie County Sheriff's office, worked over the weekend to identify the victim as Carla Westhofen, 58, of Sandusky, Ohio. Carla was last seen by friends on the night of Nov. 5. Family members reported her missing the following day when she failed to show up for a scheduled appointment. A check of Carla's house found that her vehicle was missing, and calls to her cell phone went unanswered.

Authorities are now searching for Carla's former boyfriend, David L. "Jody" Kromer, 56, of Margaretta Township, Ohio.

"After they broke up, it didn't go well," Carla's son, Todd Dahnke, told morningjournal.com. "She felt at risk, so she got the protection order. There had been issues previously while they were dating. I thought he could be aggressive, based on things I had seen."

According to Erie County Sheriff's Capt. Paul Sigsworth, Kromer was recently released from jail after bonding out on charges that he had violated the protection order by sending Carla a letter.

Authorities are not commenting on what, if any, evidence they have connecting Kromer to Carla's death; however, they have issued warrants for his arrest on charges of murder and kidnapping.

The Erie County Coroner's Office is conducting an autopsy on Carla's body today to determine exactly how she died. Meanwhile, authorities in several states, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are actively seeking Kromer, whom they describe as armed and dangerous.

David Kromer is described as 6' 1" tall, weighing 210 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. He is possibly driving a blue 2000 Jeep Cherokee with Ohio license plate DQW 3569 or Carla Westhofen's tan 2002 GMC Envoy with Ohio license plate AXS 6883.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Erie County Sheriff's office at 419-625-7951.

Photo Credits: Crime Scene: David Lohr; Carla Westhofen: Police file photo; David Kromer: Police file photo

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Human Skeletal Remains Found in NY Not Corrie Anderson

October 01, 2009

Last weekend a fisherman in Cattaraugus County, NY, found human skeletal remains along the edge of the Allegheny Reservoir. According to a source close to the investigation, a skull and miscellaneous bones were recovered from the scene. For the past several days family members of Corrie Anderson, a mother of three from Ashville who went missing in October 2008, have been waiting and wondering if their search was finally over. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the family received word this afternoon that Corrie's dental records did not match the remains. A source within the NY State Police has also confirmed that they do not belong to Corrie.

The remains are currently in the hands of Doctor Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA. According to local authorities, they have provided pertinent medical information regarding several other missing person cases to Dirkmaat and his team. Among those cases are Lori Ceci-Bova and Damien Sharp.

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Volunteers Search for Mary Denise Lands

September 28, 2009

Teams of volunteers from several states gathered in south-central Michigan this past Saturday to search for Mary Denise Lands, a 39-year-old woman who went missing in 2004. The weekend search marks the fourth time in recent months that volunteers have searched areas throughout Albion and Marshall, both of which are towns in Calhoun County.

Although community volunteers were sparse, several professional search groups – Track Missing, Destiny Search Services from Erie, Pennsylvania, K-9 ONE Search and Rescue from Michigan, Indiana K9 Search and Recovery and Kent County Search and Rescue – were all on scene assisting in the search. In addition, two members from the Doe Network, Tony Evelina and Joanne Russell, made the 14-hour trip from NY State to join in the effort.

"It was a long trip," Evelina said. "We drove straight here and then went out in the field on zero sleep, but we didn't think twice about it. I can sleep anytime. The possibility of bringing closure to this family is way more important."

Members of the local group Track Missing oversaw the search effort, while teams from both K9 groups spread out in several rural areas. Additionally, members from Kent County SAR conducted thorough grid searches and members of Destiny Search Services used high-resolution underwater cameras to peer into abandoned wells. While nothing of interest was found during the search, it was not for lack of effort.

"The problem with this case is that it is over five years old," Walter Perkowski, a search coordinator with Destiny Search Services, said. "Areas that were easily accessible in 2004 are not necessarily accessible now. We had aerial maps from the time period that, in some instances, showed field clearings and things of that nature from when Mary went missing but they are entirely overgrown now. It was a challenge for all the groups, but they did their best and were able to rule out the majority of the locations that were searched. DSS was specifically asked to rule out some wells, and we were able to do that."

In addition to the community volunteer and professional search groups, Mary's parents, Cliff and Anita Marshall, were also present at the command center to show their support of the search.

"We couldn't not be here," Cliff Marshall said. "These people were good enough to come out here to look for our daughter, so we needed to be here with them."

Despite the fact that no finds were made during the search, Mary's mother said that it did not deter their hope that Mary would someday be found.

"It is in God's hands," Anita Marshall said. "When he wants Mary found, she will be. In the meantime, we won't give up and will continue to search for her."

Interestingly, one of the items found during the search was the remnants of a balloon that was launched two years ago during a vigil for Mary. While the item was not relevant to the case, it did bring a smile to Mary's parents.

No further searches will be conducted for Mary this year; however, plans are being made for future efforts. According to Perkowski, DSS would like to return next year with sonar equipment to check local waterways.

In the meantime, everyone will continue to hope that Mary is found soon.

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