Police solve 1964 rape, murder of girl with DNA, volunteer
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press
HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) — DNA and a 20-year-old genealogy expert helped state police identify the man who abducted, raped and murdered a young girl in a case that rattled a Pennsylvania coal town nearly six decades ago. Nine-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella of Hazleton was taken as she walked to school one morning in 1964. Her body was later found in a waste coal pit. Police identified her killer Thursday as James Paul Forte, a bartender with a record of violent sexual assault. He died in 1980. Police used new DNA technology to develop leads, and a college student who helps police crack cold cases put together an extensive family tree that helped investigators narrow their suspect list.
