This IMPOSSIBLE Cold Case Was Solved By A Teenager | HO

For nearly six decades, the murder of 9-year-old Maurice Anne Chiverella haunted the small community of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. The case, once thought impossible to solve, was finally cracked not by seasoned detectives or advanced forensic labs, but by a 20-year-old college student with a passion for genealogy.

This is the story of how Eric Schubert, armed with patience, innovation, and cutting-edge genetic techniques, succeeded where generations of investigators had failed.

The Day Innocence Was Lost

Hazleton in the early 1960s was the picture of small-town America. Families were close-knit, children walked to school unaccompanied, and the Catholic church was the heart of community life. Maurice Chiverella, born Thanksgiving Day 1954, was the second of five children in a hardworking Italian-American family.

Her father, Carmen, ran a neighborhood grocery store, while her mother, Mary, worked at a local knitting mill. Sundays were sacred: mass in the morning, a family meal at noon—the only time the entire family gathered together.

Maurice was known for her gentle spirit and selflessness. She dreamed of becoming a nun, spent evenings playing the organ with her siblings, and always put others before herself. On the morning of March 18, 1964, Maurice left home early to deliver two cans of fruit to her teacher at St. Joseph’s parochial school—a small act of kindness that would be her last.

A Crime That Shattered a Community

Maurice’s absence from daily mass raised immediate concern among the nuns at her school. By lunchtime, her family knew something was wrong. Carmen closed his store and began searching the streets; Mary, at the knitting mill, was overcome by a mother’s intuition that something was terribly amiss.

The truth was discovered miles away, in a desolate strip mine outside Hazelton. A man giving his nephew driving lessons noticed what looked like a doll discarded among the refuse. It was Maurice. Her body was still warm, indicating she had been killed only hours before. She had been bound, assaulted, and strangled with her own shoelaces. The two cans of fruit she’d so carefully chosen for her teacher lay beside her—a heartbreaking reminder of her innocence.

The news spread fast. Hazelton’s sense of safety was shattered. Parents called children home early, and the streets, once familiar, now felt haunted by shadows.

The Investigation: Decades of Frustration

The Pennsylvania State Police descended on the crime scene, collecting evidence and interviewing hundreds of people. DNA samples were preserved from Maurice’s clothing—an extraordinary move for the time, as DNA analysis was still decades away. The killer had left behind clues: bodily fluids, hair, and fingerprints. Yet, the technology to interpret these clues did not exist.

The investigation was exhaustive. More than 230 police officers worked the case over the years, making it one of the largest in state history. Detective Thomas McAndrew, who spent 26 years on the case, became personally invested. But despite their efforts, leads dried up and the case went cold. Every year, new investigators reviewed the file, applying fresh perspectives and new techniques, but the killer remained unidentified.

Hazleton never forgot Maurice. The case became part of the town’s identity—a tragic reminder of lost innocence.

A New Kind of Detective

In 2020, hope arrived from an unexpected source. Eric Schubert, a 20-year-old history major at Elizabethtown College, had already built a reputation as a prodigy in genetic genealogy. Unlike traditional detectives, Schubert’s tools were family trees and DNA databases. He had helped solve other cold cases, blending modern science with old-fashioned research.

When Schubert read about Maurice’s murder, he recognized the potential for genetic genealogy to succeed where other methods had failed. The Pennsylvania State Police had preserved evidence—DNA profiles and physical samples—from the crime scene. What they lacked was a way to connect those samples to a suspect.

Initially, police were skeptical. Allowing a college student to work on one of their most important cold cases was unprecedented. But Schubert’s track record spoke for itself, and the department was willing to take a chance.

Cracking the Code: Genealogy Meets Forensics

Schubert’s approach was methodical. He uploaded the crime scene DNA profile to public genealogy databases, searching for distant relatives of the killer. The process was painstaking, requiring him to build extensive family trees, tracing connections back generations and then forward to possible suspects.

Genetic genealogy is a blend of science and intuition. It involves analyzing DNA matches, mapping out relationships, and narrowing down the pool of potential suspects. For Schubert, the Chiverella case became an obsession. He spent countless hours poring over records, building trees, and analyzing matches.

The breakthrough came when Schubert identified a distant cousin of the perpetrator in the database. From there, he built out the family tree, narrowing the possibilities until one name stood out: James Paul Forte.

The Suspect: Hiding in Plain Sight

James Paul Forte was born in 1941 and lived just six blocks from the Chiverella home. At the time of Maurice’s murder, he was a 22-year-old bartender and bar supply salesman. Forte had a history of violence: in 1974, he was arrested for rape and sexual assault, though he received only probation. In 1978, he was charged with reckless endangerment and harassment.

But there was a problem—Forte had died in 1980, decades before the case was solved. To confirm his guilt, investigators needed a DNA sample from his remains. In early 2022, nearly 58 years after Maurice’s murder, Forte’s body was exhumed. Tissue samples were collected and analyzed.

The results were conclusive: Forte’s DNA was a perfect match to the evidence from the crime scene.

Justice, At Last

On February 10, 2022, the Pennsylvania State Police held a press conference announcing the resolution of one of the state’s oldest cold cases. The room was filled with investigators, family members, and reporters. State Police Corporal Mark Baron spoke with emotion: “Today we can finally say that we know who killed Maurice Chiverella.”

The announcement brought relief and sadness. Relief that the case was finally solved; sadness that it had taken so long and that Forte could not be held accountable. The Chiverella family, represented by Maurice’s four surviving siblings, expressed gratitude for the closure, but acknowledged the enduring pain of loss.

“It gives us a sense of closure,” said Maurice’s brother Ron. “No full closure—we’ll never have that. But knowing the individual isn’t out committing the same crime and hurting other young girls like Maurice is a relief.”

The Legacy of a Teenager’s Dedication

Eric Schubert’s contribution was recognized as instrumental. His expertise in genetic genealogy, combined with his dedication, made it possible to identify Forte as the perpetrator. The collaboration between Schubert and the Pennsylvania State Police was a triumph of innovation and persistence.

For Schubert, the case was the hardest he’d ever worked on. “It means so much to me that I was able to be on the team that could provide answers to the Chiverella family,” he said.

The case highlights the power of new technology, but also the importance of preserving evidence and never giving up hope. It is a testament to the determination of investigators and the ingenuity of a young genealogist who refused to let a child’s murder go unsolved.

Conclusion: A New Era in Crime Solving

The resolution of the Maurice Chiverella case marks a turning point in the fight against unsolved crimes. It demonstrates that even the most impossible cases can be solved with persistence, innovation, and the willingness to embrace new methods.

For Hazleton, the case’s closure brings a measure of peace. For the Chiverella family, it brings answers they waited a lifetime to receive. And for the world of criminal investigation, it serves as a reminder: sometimes, the key to justice lies not with seasoned detectives, but with a teenager armed with curiosity, compassion, and cutting-edge science.\