Unsolved Murder of a Boy Scout seeks new leads in 1970 Cold Case Near Phiily $25,000 reward

I was only 8 years old when it happened and in Cub Scouts but never heard of this case in all my years of scouting even into my adult hood  till it came up on a cold case website the killing of a young boy scout near philly in 1970 who was camping with his troop. in Chester county when 11 yr old Terry Bowers was stabbed multiple times .


 While staying overnight on the grounds  at St Basil The Great Church  in in East Pikeland Twp.
and it appears new leads may have come out of the perversion files released by boy scout national council
The state police are offering a $25,000.00 reward for information on this cold case 

Pittsburghs First Woman Coal Miner and Mine Owner who would go missing to this day

Coal mining was a mans job back in the Pick and shovel days but that did not stop one enterprising woman Ricka Ott from becoming not only a coal miner but mine owner .
She operated a small depression drift  mine in a hill side on here family's farm in the Mt Oliver area then known as St Clair Twp.
Each Morning she would rise put on her work clothes and go into her small one person mine and take out coal he would sell to locals and this may well have been what lead to her disappearance  one day never to be seen again from what research I can find on the matter
It may be she got tired and wanted to start a new life but what more than likely happened she was done in by some miners or mine owners who did not appreciate her digging into there profits selling coal below market price. Still happens to this day all over the business world she may well be buried in one of the numerous sealed off coal mines under the south hills .

I talked to a lot of old coal miners from carrick and Mt Oliver known ever mentioned Miss Ott. however if you venture thru local grave yards the Ott name can be found

I found out about this thru the face book group"  south side then and now " thank you for the lead.
I will try and find out more info on this story and pass it on if I do.

The Deadly section of Pa State Route 28 where many fatal wrecks have occurred even after the road has been improved many times and St Nicholas Croatian Church has been removed

Ever since I was a Kid it seems if there was a serious or fatal wreck it always happened right in front of or close to the former St Nicholas Croatian Church along Pa state route 28 in Pittsburgh's North Side

One of the worst happened on December 5, 1952 at midnight when a car crashed into a home next to the church shearing off a gas line and causing an explosion killing 6 children who where in their beds
the parents where not harmed by some miracle 
 The picture above was day of their funeral  at St Nicholas.

While this stretch of Pa. 28 also known as E. Ohio Street has been widened and cement crash barrier installed Fatal wrecks still occur the most recent occurring several weeks ago when 2 -24 year old young women where killed in a head on crash after one was confused and came onto the south bound lanes the wrong way.




Some say there is nothing to it but  Pa .28 is just a bad road with bad design and people constantly speeding .They even moved the church further back into the hillside in 20's to improve the road. But Then when a fatal happens on that stretch of road. why Does it happen in front of the church? There where at least 2 accidents involving tractor trailers getting tangled up and resulting in fatal wrecks along with at least a dozen others.

I can find nothing in the history of the church and its construction  which would lead to some type of anomaly occurring there .If anything it was built there with love because of the natural protection the hill side provided .




Of course now its long gone replaced by a walking path and small memorial to the church
Is something evil going on is that stretch cursed by an Indian spirit ?  a natural anomaly we will probably never know. But the accidents keep happening even after the church has been torn down and road improved.