2 arrested in Bensalem 1984 unsolved girl’s murder

BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) – Two men have been arrested in the 1984 rape and killing of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in the woods two weeks after she vanished, police said Friday.

Rowan had vanished August 3, 1984 after she left her home at a trailer park to visit a nearby friend, The Inquirer reported. Her body was found in a wooded area between Route 1 North and North River Drive in Bensalem on August 16th.

Police had a suspect, but charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence.

Rowan’s case was reassigned in 2002 and after further investigation, new leads were developed, police said.

Both suspects will be extradited to Bucks County in the near future, police said.

The Associated Press reported that police say Shaw killed Barbara while she was baby-sitting his daughter and he was high on methamphetamine. Sanders, 51, said he helped Shaw carry her corpse to the vehicle and place it in the trunk, police said. Authorities said she died of asphyxiation from obstruction of her airway, and tape was found on her neck and skull.

He was taken into custody in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and is charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Investigators said Sanders told them that when Shaw came out of the bedroom, he appeared panicked and used an expletive to denote that he had done something awful. Sanders is jailed on unrelated charges. The teen was recalled by her family in a 2009 interview as being immature for her age, playing mostly with younger girls. The teenager had just started wearing makeup and liked books, Jordache jeans and animals.