Officials: Mother Named 'Person Of Interest' After 14-Year-Old Daughter's Body Found Dismembered In Woods

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Officials have named a mother the person of interest after her adopted daughter's body was found dismembered in a wooded area of Luzerne County.

The district attorneys of Bucks, Luzerne and Montgomery Counties announced Thursday that the body of 14-year-old Grace Packer, who went missing over the summer, was found Oct. 31 in the woods by hunters in Luzerne County.

Grace's body was dismembered, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Sara Packer, the girl's mother, has been named a "person of interest." She reported her daughter missing in July. The two were residing in Abington Township at the time.

KYW Newsradio's Justin Udo reports that Packer's boyfriend is also a person of interest in the case.

CBS 3's Greg Argos reports that Packer failed to tell Abington Police the family was in the process of moving to Richland Township, Bucks County, at the time she reported her daughter's disappearance and did not provide photos of Grace for two months.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Packer continued to collect her daughter's Social Security checks after police knew she was dead.

"She's a teenaged girl and this is one of those investigations that everybody is working really hard on, and we need to solve what happened to her," Steele said.
Packer was charged on Nov. 21 with endangering the welfare of a child and obstruction of justice. She is currently being held at Montgomery County Prison pending trial.

Packer has not been charged in her daughter's murder.

"You may leave here with more questions than answers, but two things are certain: Grace Packer was murdered, and we will use all of our joint investigative resources to bring Grace's killer to justice," said Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

Grace's remains had to be identified through dental records.

Officials are urging anyone with information about Grace's murder to contact Bucks County detectives at 215-945-3100 or at buckscrimetips@buckscounty.org.

"We need the public's help today," Steele said. "We're asking publicly for all of our citizens to provide us information that could help us solve Grace's murder."