Missing mother found dead on rural property after police match tattoos to corpse

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A missing mother from Pennsylvania was found dead inside a metal box on a remote wooded property on Sunday after police identified distinctive tattoos on her corpse.
Katlyn Harp, 33, disappeared on June 19 sparking a massive, multi-agency search.
The operation reached a grim conclusion last week and her husband, Vincent Lloyd Harp, 39, was arrested hours later.
He is charged with criminal homicide, accused of killing his wife and hiding her remains in a desolate corner of nearly 40 acres of forest he once owned.
Katlyn's disappearance prompted a week long search that drew state police, specialized K-9 units, drones, and a network of volunteers across Columbia County.
Troopers said cell phone records, blood evidence, and suspicious movements by Harp led them to the wooded property in Montour Township, where a search team located the mother of two's body locked in a metal container.
Harp was arraigned Sunday night before District Judge Brenda Hess Williams and denied bail.
Police described the discovery as the tragic result of an, 'intense and determined' investigation.
Loved ones gathered in Katlyn's hometown to mourn a woman remembered as, 'an amazing, beautiful soul with a heart of gold.'
Friends and family recounted her kindness, her love for her children, and the laughter she spread.
'She was one of the kindest, most genuine people you could ever meet,' read a statement from a GoFundMe page started in Katlyn's honor. 'Her warmth, laughter, and love touched everyone around her.'
The discovery of Katlyn's body stunned communities including her hometown of Lewistown, where candles were lit on Sunday in her memory.
The discovery of her corpse came after days of contradictions and shifting stories.
Katlyn, who was last seen alive on June 19 at her Bloomsburg home, had reportedly told her husband that she 'needed space to get out of my head,' according to a text message shared by her sister on Facebook.
But within hours of her disappearance, family members feared for her safety.
Heather Lane, Katlyn's sister, raised the alarm after she could not reach her.
Police soon joined the hunt, scouring familiar places Katlyn was known to visit.
A trail of digital evidence, including cell phone records showed Harp traveling near an old property he'd owned until late 2023 and quickly placed suspicion on him.
Cell phone data tracked Harp to a gas station in Danville on June 20, where he bought gloves, before returning to the remote Harp Lane property where his wife's remains were ultimately discovered.
Surveillance video and GPS data later placed him repeatedly in that same area over the following days.
When search parties finally converged on the heavily forested, 38-acre land off Harp Lane on Sunday, a group of volunteers and officers approached a steep embankment where they found a metal box, concealed in a quiet corner of the woods.
Inside lay Katlyn's remains with her identity confirmed by matching tattoos.
It was a family-led effort, driven by Katlyn's sister and a network of community members, that relatives claim finally broke the case open. 'WE!!!!!! Found her! Emphasize the WE!' Heather Lane wrote on social media after authorities confirmed the discovery.
Columbia County Coroner Jeremy Reese pronounced Katlyn dead at 3:30pm on Sunday and noted that although her autopsy is pending, evidence at the scene strongly indicated homicide.
'Our condolences go out to the victim's family and friends,' Reese stated.
Forensic specialists and state troopers worked for hours to preserve evidence around the box, which local station WKOK reported had been identical to one Vincent Harp kept in the back of his pickup truck.
Authorities also disclosed that Vincent Harp had sold his utility vehicle, found stained with what they believe is human blood, shortly after Katlyn disappeared, a move police now consider an attempt to destroy critical evidence.
Neighbors watched as state police and K-9 units moved in and blocked off the rural lane for much of Sunday afternoon.
A line of first responders filed past barricades to reach the grim scene.
'Unfortunately this missing person case is now a criminal homicide investigation,' Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Anthony Petroski confirmed on social media.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 14. Harp was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Brenda Hess Williams on Sunday evening and denied bail.
He was charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.