Summary
On November 24, 1976, 21-year-old Susan Rush left her job at the G.C. Murphy store near the Washington Mall in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Rush planned to meet her family at their church for a Thanksgiving Eve dinner and service, but she never arrived.
When Rush did not return home, her family reported her missing. The following morning, Rush’s brother found her locked car parked along North Avenue in the city of Washington, approximately one-quarter mile from the store where she worked. Rush was found deceased inside the trunk of the vehicle. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
Investigators pursued numerous leads and examined multiple persons of interest, but the person responsible for Rush’s murder could not be identified. The case remained unresolved for nearly 50 years.
In August 2026, Othram received original crime scene evidence from Rush’s case. At Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, scientists worked to develop a DNA extract from the evidence. Othram scientists then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism profile for the unknown man whose DNA was found on the evidence. The resulting SNP profile was returned to law enforcement.
Law enforcement leveraged Othram’s identity inference tools to investigate the identity of the unknown man. This investigation led to the identification of James Richard Clark, Sr. as the person responsible for Rush’s murder. Clark lived in the Washington County area when Rush was killed and was 19 years old at the time. He later worked as a long-haul truck driver. Clark died of natural causes in 2023 at the age of 66.
Investigators also determined that DNA evidence connected Clark to the 1977 murder of 18-year-old Brenda Lee Ritter. Ritter disappeared after leaving her boyfriend’s home in Chartiers Township on May 18, 1977. Her abandoned vehicle was discovered the following day, and her body was found on a nearby hillside in South Strabane Township. Investigators determined that Ritter had also been sexually assaulted and strangled.
The investigation remains ongoing as the Pennsylvania State Police examines whether Clark may be connected to other crimes.
This is the 18th publicly announced case in Pennsylvania where investigators have used Othram’s technology to identify an individual. Learn about other cases by visiting Othram’s website.
Dan Miller
Director of Customer Service
Dan guides law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally through every step of the forensic process—from crime scene to courtroom. He ensures investigators have the support and resources they need to navigate advanced DNA testing and maximize the impact of forensic evidence in their cases.