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Significant development to be announced in 1975 case of missing sisters
Significant development to be announced in 1975 case of missing sistersPublic Safety
By Dan Morse July 13 at 8:36 PM
Authorities in two states plan to make a significant announcement this week in the heartbreaking case of two Maryland girls who disappeared from a mall near their home just over 40 years ago.
Although officials declined to elaborate, a grand jury has been meeting for about 10 months in rural central Virginia to consider evidence gathered in the case of Sheila Lyon, 12, and her sister Katherine, 10.
On March 25, 1975, the girls walked about a mile to the Wheaton Plaza mall, where they ate lunch, saw friends and then vanished. The case stunned the region at the time — instantly making parents question where it was safe to leave their children alone. Many have never forgotten it.
For the past two years, investigators have been focused on Lloyd Lee Welch, a convicted child sex offender who is serving a long prison term in Delaware. Montgomery County police last year named Welch a “person of interest” in the case. They later also named his uncle, Richard Welch, who lives in Hyattsville, Md., as a second “person of interest.” No charges have been made public.
{How police investigating the Lyon sisters case found a “person of interest”}
The grand jury proceedings, in Bedford County, Va., where Welch relatives have owned land, are closed to the public. But based on witnesses seen going in and out of the courtroom, it appears that investigators and prosecutors are focused on what members of the Welch family may know about the case. Since September, authorities also have searched a mountain in Bedford County for the girls’ remains and searched homes linked to the family.
Katherine (left) and Sheila Lyon (right).
(Courtesy of Montgomery County Police)
By Dan Morse July 13 at 8:36 PM
Authorities in two states plan to make a significant announcement this week in the heartbreaking case of two Maryland girls who disappeared from a mall near their home just over 40 years ago.
Although officials declined to elaborate, a grand jury has been meeting for about 10 months in rural central Virginia to consider evidence gathered in the case of Sheila Lyon, 12, and her sister Katherine, 10.
On March 25, 1975, the girls walked about a mile to the Wheaton Plaza mall, where they ate lunch, saw friends and then vanished. The case stunned the region at the time — instantly making parents question where it was safe to leave their children alone. Many have never forgotten it.
For the past two years, investigators have been focused on Lloyd Lee Welch, a convicted child sex offender who is serving a long prison term in Delaware. Montgomery County police last year named Welch a “person of interest” in the case. They later also named his uncle, Richard Welch, who lives in Hyattsville, Md., as a second “person of interest.” No charges have been made public.
{How police investigating the Lyon sisters case found a “person of interest”}
The grand jury proceedings, in Bedford County, Va., where Welch relatives have owned land, are closed to the public. But based on witnesses seen going in and out of the courtroom, it appears that investigators and prosecutors are focused on what members of the Welch family may know about the case. Since September, authorities also have searched a mountain in Bedford County for the girls’ remains and searched homes linked to the family.
Katherine (left) and Sheila Lyon (right).
(Courtesy of Montgomery County Police)
Bedford County, Virginia, Sheriff: 'Significant developments' in Lyon sister cold case