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Renewed investigation begins on murdered coeds case: ‘We want full disclosure’

It’s been 52 years since that cold January evening when Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell ducked into a car in downtown Morgantown.

The WVU freshmen who became fast friends during orientation for their incoming class had just caught a movie at the Metropolitan Theatre and decided to hitch a ride back to their dorm, given the chilly temperatures.

They never got there.

Four months later, their decapitated bodies were found in a wooded area near Morgantown.

Their heads were never found – but that might be about to change.

The West Virginia State Police now has renewed interest in the case, and is building its effort based on new information brought by former state National Guardsman whose unit found the bodies in 1970.

If he’s correct, the information, said the man, who preferred not to give his name, could lead investigators to the missing remains.

Meanwhile, cadaver dogs were patrolling the area, while two groups of crime scene specialists dug in for their meticulous work at two different spots were the additional remains were said to be buried, based on the guardsman’s information.

Areas where the dogs were particularly anxious were dug into, using garden trowels and small shovels – in a kind of archeology, for an evil deed.

Other investigators used their hands to sift through the soil, as they looked for teeth, skull fragments, anything.

After a half-century, investigators last week weren’t sure if a fully intact skull could be found.

Last week at the site, the work continued, oh-so-carefully: A one-inch layer of earth equaled 50 years. Get that one done, then go to work on the next layer.

And the next.

“You have to be patient,” Michael Kief said.

The retired State Police lieutenant recently finished his career as director of the forensic investigation unit and was immediately hired back as a civilian employee. 

He was helping oversee the operation in Morgantown last week with other troopers from Wheeling, Elkins and Charleston.

Forget 50 years, Kief said. He and the teams were in the immediate moment.

With the work just beginning, Kief didn’t want to go discuss full details.

However, work it is, he said.

“It’s an ongoing investigation and definitely worth our time and effort to be here,” the crime scene specialist said.

“We want to see full closure.”

TWEET@DominionPostWV