Dolores Della Penna


Dolores Della Penna was a school girl from Philadelphia who was tortured, murdered by dismemberment, and beheaded in the Kensington neighborhood in July, 1972.

Disappearance

Shortly before midnight on July 11, 1972, Della Penna was abducted from her home in Philadelphia. Witnesses later informed the police that they had seen her beaten and dragged, while she was unconscious, into a car. Della Penna's torso and arms were later located in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Her legs were found in adjacent Manchester Township, New Jersey. Her head was never recovered and her murder remains unsolved.

Investigation and aftermath

Her fingertips had been severed from her hands to prevent the police from identifying her. Their reports state that Della Penna was killed by drug dealers who thought that her boyfriend had stolen drugs from them. The crime remains unsolved, and is hotly debated online.