It’s been almost 50 years since eight-year-old Gretchen Harrington was kidnapped while walking to a vacation Bible school from her home in Marple. The daughter of a local Presbyterian minister and his wife, Gretchen’s body was found months later in Ridley Creek State Park, but her murder remains unsolved. Marple Newtown High School graduates and writers Mike Mathis and Joanna Falcone Sullivan were both ten years old when the tragedy happened and have been haunted by it ever since. Their recently published book, Marple’s Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Loss of Innocence in Suburban Philadelphia, is not only a tribute to Gretchen but to all the other children whose lives were forever changed and shaped by this event.
Authors Mike and Joanna both grew up in Broomall. Mike’s family moved here in 1966. Joanna and her family moved to Broomall from Philadelphia in 1975, just a few months before Gretchen’s murder occurred. The book describes the day Gretchen disappeared on August 15, 1975, as a typical summer day in the suburbs. “Young children played with their friends, adults prepared for work or planned for their vacation at the Jersey Shore,” said Mike. “But that all changed in the hours before noon. Kids who were playing at the Lawrence Park Swim Club that day heard the sound of a helicopter hovering. They’d later learn that it was searching for a missing child.”
Joanna and Mike said that the crime forever changed the lives of both the children, who were about Gretchen’s age and their parents. “Many people chose to live in Marple Newtown because they considered it a safe refuge from the crime-ridden streets of Philadelphia,” explained Mike. “But after Gretchen’s murder, we were no longer allowed to walk to friends’ houses or the swim club by ourselves. Joanna said that their parents and friends’ parents began watching over them more closely. “The crime made us more wary of strangers, even making us cautious as we parented our own children while they were growing up,” she added.
As children, Mike went to Loomis Elementary, and Joanna attended Russell Elementary. They met and became friends in middle school, and both had a passion for storytelling and journalism. Their writing careers began back when they both started working on The Hollow Log, Paxon Hollow Middle School’s student newspaper. When they got to Marple Newtown High School, Mike ran the student newspaper there, The Mar News, and Joanna was active in the Marching Band.
After Joanna and Mike graduated from MNHS in 1983, they both had successful careers in the communications field. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Villanova University, Mike worked as a publication and video manager for the New Jersey Courts. He was also a reporter and editor for several newspapers, including the Burlington County Times in Willingboro, NJ, where he covered the state and federal criminal and civil courts, major crime, school districts and municipal government. Since 1995, he has been an adjunct professor in the Visual, Performing and Communication Arts Department at Camden County College. Mike is also the author of five books and is the co-author of Cherry Hill: A Brief History. He also works as a freelance writer and is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of New Jersey and State Supreme Courts.
Meanwhile, Joanna graduated from Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. For the past 20 years, she has been the editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Business Journal, which is part of the American City Business Journals publications. She has also worked as an editor and reporter for the American Banker newspaper in Washington, D.C., the Annapolis Capital in Maryland, and the Hagerstown, Maryland Herald-Mail.
Over the years, Mike and Joanna stayed in touch via social media and often discussed collaborating on a book about Gretchen’s murder. “We were perplexed that the crime had not been solved for nearly five decades,” said Joanna. “It remains one of Marple Township’s few recorded murders to this day.” It wasn’t until the two writers reconnected in person at their 30-year high school reunion that they officially decided to write the book.
Published in the fall of 2022, Marple’s Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Loss of Innocence in Suburban Philadelphia examines the decades-long investigation. With the help of the Marple police, including Chief Brandon Graeff, they were given rare access to police files in what is still considered an open investigation. “Brandon welcomed us into the station on several occasions,” said Joanna. “His passion for solving the crime showed the Marple police’s dedication to the case.” Most of the police officers who worked on her case back when it first happened have since retired or died. Joanna said that the case still haunts detectives who were unable to solve it.
While researching the story for the book, Mike and Joanna also met with Gretchen’s sister Ann (Harrington) Myers. Joanna spent hours in her home, and Ann expressed gratitude to the authors for shedding light on the case that changed her family’s life forever. “The Harrington family was never the same after this tragedy,” said Joanna. “Ann thanked us for writing the book and hopes that her sister will be remembered for being the sweet girl that she was and not just for what happened to her.”
Gretchen’s death remains a topic of conversation on local Facebook groups, and former and current residents recall similar recollections of the fateful day she disappeared. The case continues to generate much speculation online, including amateur detectives still trying to solve the murder. It was because of the impact the case had on the Marple Newtown community that led Joanna and Mike to write the book. “It was a story that needed to be told,” said Joanna. “We really just want to shed light on this little girl and the impact the crime had on so many people.”
For more information about the book, visit www.Amazon.com/Marples-Gretchen-Harrington-Tragedy-Philadelphia.