History and mysteries · Philadelphia and the Pine Barrens
Dolores Della Penna and the search beneath a garage (1972)
Documented history · Source reviewed
A Philadelphia teenager’s remains were recovered in the Pine Barrens; decades later, detectives were still testing leads across the river.
A disappearance crossing state lines
Dolores Della Penna was seventeen and had recently graduated from St. Hubert’s High School when she disappeared in Philadelphia in July 1972. Her remains were subsequently found in the South Jersey Pine Barrens.
The case’s geography matters: the place where remains were recovered does not by itself establish where the killing occurred. Later investigative work continued in Philadelphia.
The 2020 excavation
In February 2020, FOX 29 reported that detectives searched beneath the concrete floor of a garage. Tenant Frank Yang described an eight-hour operation involving police and a dog. The station reported that investigators were seeking unrecovered remains, but found nothing during that search.
The article also discussed a proposed motive through unnamed sources. That theory is not adopted here as established fact. The reported excavation demonstrates a specific follow-up effort, while its negative result leaves the central questions unanswered. No later resolution was located in this research pass.
Sources and research limits
Dave Schratwieser, FOX 29, February 20–21, 2020. The report uses the spelling “Delores”; other records use “Dolores.” No grand-jury transcript or forensic report was inspected.