Clinton County, PA – A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that could help solve the 1981 homicide of Wayne Leigh Rifendifer, according to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).
Investigators from PSP Troop F – Lamar Station reported that Rifendifer’s body was discovered on August 19, 1981, along Gottschall Road in Crawford Township, near Ravensburg State Park. Police said he had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head and his body showed signs of mutilation. Authorities believe he was killed elsewhere and then left at the wooded site, located about six miles north of Interstate 80.
According to PSP, Rifendifer, 30, was a hitchhiker originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Forensic evidence later linked his killing to the 1982 homicide of Marty James Shook in Heber City, Utah. Ballistics confirmed that both men were shot with the same .38-caliber firearm.
In 2023, former Fulton City Police Chief Mark Spawn revisited the case through a true crime podcast, renewing public interest. PSP investigators are again urging the public to come forward with any details that might lead to an arrest or resolution.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PSP Lamar Station at (570) 726-6000 or submit a tip anonymously at p3tips.com.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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