Meghan Runkle was about to turn 18 on November 14, but by the time her body was found, it had been over a week since her death. Two men were hiking in the area of Jennings State Forest, scouting out hunting spots, when they spotted circling buzzards and went to investigate. They found the nude body of Meghan lying in shallow water in a ditch near a bike path. Police confirmed her identity on November 12, though they were unable to pinpoint the exact time or date of her death due to the decomposition of the body.
The tragedy didn’t end with Meghan. Her younger brother Jonathan Hackett had died in the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh on November 2. It is unclear whether the two deaths were connected. According to Meghan’s stepmother, the teen had been staying with friends but was going through an emotionally difficult time and wanted to come home. “She wanted to get back in contact with the family,” she said. Meghan’s Myspace page further indicates this, with emotionally vulnerable poetry that she had written.
There are currently no leads on her death, though police are treating her death as a homicide. Anyone with information leading to the solving of this incident is encouraged to call the police, with a reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to an arrest.
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