A human skull found by a Pennsylvania pond has been identified as belonging to a Berks County man who disappeared afte trying to kill his wife at their home 20 years ago.
The Berks County District Attorney’s Office said a boy found the skull in April 2022 in Amity Township, WHTM reported. Investigators conducted two searches looking for more remains but found none.
Township and county detectives began an investigation, sending the skull to Mercyhurst University in Erie for an examination. Scientists there determined that the skull was male and had been exposed to the elements for at least 10 years. DNA analysis was also conducted by Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia.
The investigation eventually determined the skull was Roger Hart, who disappeared after he was charged with the attempted murder of his wife in April 2004, according to WCAU.
Hart’s vehicle was found in Amity Township, not far from the pond where the skull was found, and his keys and wallet were on the vehicle’s front seat.
A witness told police at the time they saw a man matching Hart’s description “exit this vehicle and enter an adjoining wooded area.”
Investigators were unable to determine Hart’s cause of death because of the condition of the skull and lack of other remains.
