The Only Pretty Thing by Ruth Ann Haefner

Doris' immoral actions lead to a family estrangement and young Kate is left with their aging mother trying to survive on the old family farm. In 2002, he died in a Las Vegas hospital at the age of 58.īoth DeKok and Simmers told Dateline that today, many Penn State students are unaware of the long-ago murder of Betsy Aardsma.How many times must sisters forgive each other? The war is over and the McNeil sisters are struggling after years of hardship, heartbreak and loss of loved ones.ĭevasted by loss and betrayal, widowed Mary takes control of her husband's farm and strives to become a prosperous lady farmer. According to local news reports, Haefner repeatedly professed his innocence. Haefner case summary.Ī jury trial began on Januand ended on February 3, 1976, when a mistrial was declared, as the jury was unable to reach a verdict, the case summary states.

The criminal charges arose from an alleged incident involving Haefner and a 12-year-old juvenile, according to the Commonwealth V. But his academic career took a downhill turn in 1975 after he was charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors. Keibler added that he knew of Haefner but said that “up until the time that I left the state police, Haefner was never considered in the 'suspect' category.” Simmers confirmed to Dateline that Haefner has never been named a suspect.Īccording to Lancaster Online, which covered Betsy’s case extensively, Haefner got his doctorate from Penn State University and went on to become a geologist and a professor of geology. It's frustrating,” Keibler said in an interview with Lancaster Online back in 2010. “As time goes by, you run into nothing or a dead end. “It was believed she had fainted, or had a seizure. “When I got the call that day… it was for a medical emergency,” Simmers told Dateline. He told Dateline that he normally dealt with drug busts and crowd control during the anti-Vietnam War protests on campus, so this call was something he had never experienced.

She was transported to the student hospital on campus, where she was declared dead at 5:19 p.m.Īt the time, Mike Simmers was a young trooper with the Pennsylvania State Police working undercover on the Penn State campus while attending college classes. when witnesses said they heard books falling.īetsy was found beneath a pile of books in aisle 51 of the stacks and a library employee called campus security. The next day, on the afternoon of November 28, 1969, Betsy and her roommate Sharon walked from their dorm to the library. That year, the Holland, Michigan native had spent Thanksgiving Day in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with her boyfriend but went back to campus early to finish a school assignment.

The Only Pretty Thing by Ruth Ann Haefner