Former pastor charged in 1975 murder of Gretchen Harrington, 8, who was walking to church

Nearly 50 years after an 8-year-old girl was abducted on her way to Bible camp, a former Pennsylvania pastor has been charged with kidnapping and murdering the child, officials said Monday.

David Zandstra, 83, has been charged with criminal homicide, first, second and third degree murder, kidnapping of a minor and possession of an instrument of crime in the 1975 murder case of Gretchen Harrington, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.

“The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975,” District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in the release. “Justice has been a long time coming, but we are proud and grateful to finally be able to give the community an answer.”

Gretchen Harrington’s remains found two months after her disappearance in 1975

On August 15, 1975, Harrington left her home around 9:30 a.m. EDT to walk to summer bible camp, which was held at the Trinity Church Chapel Christian Reform Church and The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Marple, Pennsylvania, according to the release. 

Zandstra was the pastor of Trinity, and Harrington’s father was the pastor of Reformed. Children started the day at a Zandstra led class at Trinity, and were taken to Reformed around 10 a.m. 

Zandstra was one of the people in charge of taking the children from Trinity to Reformed. He would take them in either a white and blue Volkswagen bus or his green Rambler station wagon, the release said.

When Harrington failed to show up to the Reformed church, her dad called the Marple Police Department around 11:23 a.m.

On October 14, 1975, Harrington’s remains were found at a nearby park. 

Investigators interviewed Zandstra in October 1975. He denied seeing Harrington on the day she disappeared. A witness, who was interviewed during the initial investigation, said they saw Harrington talking with a driver of either a green station wagon or two-tone Cadillac. 

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Zandstra confesses to the murder after hearing about sexual assault claims

Zandstra confessed to killing Harrington on July 17 in Marietta, Georgia, about 20 miles north of Atlanta, where he currently lives. Investigators traveled to the state to interview the suspect after interviewing his daughter’s childhood best friend who said Zandstra sexually assaulted her during a sleepover at his house.

On January 2, 2023, the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, told investigators Zandstra groped “her groin area” during a sleepover at his house when she was 10. When she told Zandstra’s daughter about what happened, Zandstra’s daughter said he “did that sometimes,” the release said.

The victim also recalled a child in her class almost being kidnapped twice. In her diary from 1975, the victim believed Zandstra was the suspect at the time, the release said. 

When investigators interviewed Zandstra, he initially denied his involvement in the murder. But after investigators told him about the sexual assault claims, Zandstra admitted to the murder.

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Zandstra says he punched Harrington after she refused to undress

Zandstra said he saw Harrington walking alone on the morning of her disappearance. He admitted he was driving a green station wagon when he offered to give Harrington a ride, according to the release.

Zandstra said he took her to a nearby wooded area and asked her to remove her clothing, the release said. When Harrington refused, Zandstra hit her in the head with his fist and he believed she was dead. He then attempted to cover her body and left the area, according to the release.

Zandstra, who refused to waive extradition to Pennsylvania, was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia. He was denied bail. 

“Justice does not have an expiration date,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Jonathan Sunderlin said in the release. “Whether a crime happened 50 years ago or 5 minutes ago, the residents of the Commonwealth can have confidence that law enforcement will not rest until justice is served.”

The District Attorney’s office will be submitting a petition for requisition, which will be sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro for his approval. Once approved, the petition will be sent to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and arrangements will be made to have the Delaware County Sheriff’s office pick up Zandstra from Georgia and bring him to Pennsylvania, the release said.

A DNA sample collected from Zandstra will be submitted to a DNA index system so investigators can compare his DNA to other DNA samples collected in open cases in Pennsylvania and across the country.