by BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. — A cold case that haunted Pennsylvania for more than six decades has finally been solved. Authorities have identified the late William Schrader, a violent sexual predator, as the man who raped and murdered 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty inside a Bucks County church in 1962.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced the Grand Jury’s findings on October 29, revealing that Schrader — who died in 2002 — was responsible for the horrific crime.
“The generational sexual abuse that this man inflicted upon every female child and woman in his life — he didn’t stop until the day he died,” Schorn said.
A Violent History Spanning Decades
According to investigators, Schrader grew up in Luzerne County and displayed violent behavior as early as age 8. He was frequently in and out of reform school, and after a dishonorable discharge from the Army, he was convicted of attempted murder and imprisoned at Eastern State Penitentiary.
After his release, Schrader moved to Bristol Township, where he became known as a transient with a troubling past. On October 22, 1962, Schrader reportedly spotted Carol Ann riding her bicycle to the library and followed her into St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church, where he raped and strangled her.
When Carol Ann failed to return home, her family searched frantically — until her father discovered her lifeless body in the church choir loft.
“That single, devastating act changed my family’s life forever,” said Carol’s sister, Kay Dougherty, who was just three years old at the time.
Years of Abuse After the Murder
Following the murder, Schrader fled Pennsylvania and moved through Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, continuing his violent patterns. Authorities said he sexually abused multiple generations of girls in his own family, including his stepdaughters and biological daughter, whom he fathered through incest.
Investigators also linked him to a deadly 1970 arson in Louisiana that killed 12-year-old Catherine Smith, a girl he had been abusing. Schrader was later convicted of manslaughter and arson in 1985.
Forensic Breakthrough Solves the Cold Case
Carol Ann’s case remained unsolved for 63 years, until new forensic analysis and witness testimony helped investigators connect Schrader to the crime.
A pubic hair sample collected in 1962 was later matched to Schrader’s DNA profile — eliminating 141 other suspects. Investigators also found Lucky Strike cigarettes at the crime scene, a brand Schrader was known to smoke, and learned that he had confessed the crime to his stepson years later.
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“All other individuals were eliminated, and William Schrader was the only person who could not be ruled out,” officials said.
Family Finally Gets Closure
During the press conference, Kay Dougherty expressed both grief and relief at the Grand Jury’s findings.
“For exactly 63 years and one day, this case was unsolved,” she said. “My parents passed away without knowing who murdered their daughter. This finding finally brings closure and truth to a wound that never healed.”
The case represents one of the oldest homicide investigations solved in Bucks County history, closing a tragic chapter that spanned generations.
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