After more than 60 years, authorities have finally identified the monster who r**ed and murdered 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty inside a Pennsylvania church, bringing long-overdue justice to a family that waited decades for answers.
Story Highlights
- William Schrader was identified as the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty in the 1962 church murder.
- Predator confessed to his stepson that he lured the girl into the church, r**ed and killed her to silence her.
- Schrader fled Pennsylvania after failing a polygraph and being questioned by police.
- DNA evidence and witness testimony finally solved what may be America’s only child r**e-murder in a church
Decades-Long Investigation Identifies Church Killer
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced Wednesday that William Schrader has been definitively linked to the October 22, 1962 r**e and murder of Carol Ann Dougherty at St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in Bristol.
The 9-year-old was on her way to the library when the predator lured her into the church. Schrader, described as an “absolute predator,” died in 2002 but was connected to the crime through decades-old evidence and recent investigative breakthroughs.
A 9-year-old girl's killer has been identified more than 60 years after she was raped and murdered in a Pennsylvania church, authorities announced. https://t.co/0UZwQlp4aT
— ABC News (@ABC) October 30, 2025
Predator’s Pattern of Violence Against Children
Investigators revealed Schrader’s life was marked by systematic sexual violence against young girls. Prosecutors determined he “sexually abused nearly every female child he lived with or had access to,” establishing a clear pattern of predatory behavior.
In 1962, a witness spotted Schrader outside the church around the time of the murder. When police questioned him, he failed a polygraph test and lied about his alibi, prompting him to flee Pennsylvania for the South once he realized he was a suspect.
DNA Evidence and Shocking Confession Solve Case
The breakthrough came when investigators tested 141 pubic hair samples collected during the investigation. Hair recovered from Schrader in 1962 showed “significant similarities” to hair found in Carol Ann’s hand, with all other individuals eliminated.
The final piece came last year when Schrader’s stepson revealed the killer had confessed twice to murdering “a little girl in a Pennsylvania church.” Schrader allegedly admitted he lured Carol Ann inside, r**ed her, and “had to kill the girl in Bristol to keep her from talking.”
Family Finally Receives Long-Awaited Justice
Carol Ann’s sister, Kay Dougherty, expressed the family’s pain and relief at Wednesday’s news conference. “Our family lived without answers and the uncertainty surrounding Carol’s death became a part of who we were,” she said through tears.
Both parents died without knowing their daughter’s killer, making this revelation a bittersweet closure to a wound that never healed.
DA Schorn noted this may be the only r**e and murder of a little girl in a church in United States history, emphasizing the heinous nature of this crime that violated the sanctity of a house of worship.
