HALIFAX, Pa. — State Police said they are conducting a "methodical demolition" of a Dauphin County home that is part of their continuing investigation of the disappearance of 17-year-old Tracy Kroh in 1989.
The property, located on the 100 block of Mountain House Road in Jackson Township, sits roughly 10 miles from where Kroh was last seen.
The home's owner, Mark Warfel, was named as a suspect in Kroh's disappearance last year, but may never stand trial for it.
The 90-year-old Warfel, who suffers from dementia, was declared incompetent to stand trial on an unrelated burglary charge. It was during that competency hearing that a State Police trooper testified that Warfel was a suspect in Kroh's disappearance.
Investigators have searched Warfel's home on Mountain House Road at least twice since 2019.
This week's demolition, which is being performed with the consent of Warfel's family, is a means to further the investigation of Kroh's whereabouts, a State Police spokesperson said in a statement:
"The Pennsylvania State Police remains unwavering in its commitment to bring this investigation to a conclusion and provide closure for the Kroh Family," the spokesperson said. "The Warfel family is cooperating with investigators and has provided consent to conduct the operation to include the demolition of all structures located on the property as a means to further the investigation into Tracy’s whereabouts."
While the demolition efforts are underway, Mountain House Road will be closed to all non-residential traffic between Armstrong Valley Road and Deitrich Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday, State Police said.
Kroh was last seen on August 5, 1989, at the Alex Acres Trailer Park off Route 147 in Halifax around 10 p.m.
She was reportedly trying to visit her sister and brother-in-law who lived at the trailer park, but they were not home. Kroh dropped off items on their front steps and never arrived back at her family's home in Millersburg.
The trailer park is approximately seven miles west of her home.
Dauphin County officials said in 2014 that before Kroh disappeared, she was seen using a public telephone off of Millersburg Square. Her vehicle, a blue-striped white 1971 Mercury Comet, was located at the town square the following evening, August 6.
Officials added that her belongings weren't inside and there was no trace of Kroh.
In December 1993, parts of Kroh's wallet—including her driver's license and National Honor Society card—were found in an area along Wiconisco Creek, off Rakers Mill Rd., in Washington Township, approximately nine miles from Millersburg.
In 2018, Dauphin County woman Holly Mallett came forward to police, telling them Matthew Webster, also of Dauphin County, admitted to her he was involved in the rape and murder of Kroh.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Webster told Mallet, "It was supposed to be just a rape and done but then it turned out to be a lot more than that."
Police then intercepted a call between Webster and Mallett in which Webster told Mallett what to say to a grand jury.
Both were subsequently charged with perjury.
When FOX43 spoke with Warfel in July 2019, he said he wasn’t concerned about the police search.
“I said 'what are you digging for,' and they said they thought maybe the remains of Tracy Kroh might be there," Warfel said at the time. "And I said, 'well you can dig all that you want but you aren’t going to find anything.'"