Delaware County authorities may have a break in a 1982 killing

Vanessa Sargent, 25, never made it home on Christmas Eve 1982 from Dixon's, a pub in Darby Township. Two days later, her body was found in a field just blocks from her home, naked from the waist down and stabbed more than 30 times.

A part-time police officer was described as one of the last people to be seen with her. For lack of evidence, he was never charged. Another officer was charged with obstruction of justice but was later acquitted.

A 9-year-old girl lost her mother, a family lost a loved one, and a police department, viewed with suspicion particularly in the African American community, saw public trust plummet.

But in the end, no one was charged.

That could change.

Chad F. Kenney, president judge of Delaware County Court, has granted a request by District Attorney Jack Whelan to convene a grand jury to investigate a number of cases, including the Sargent slaying.

"Some new information has come to light," which will be presented to the grand jury, Whelan said Monday, declining to provide specifics.

He said the grand jury probably would be impaneled within 60 days.

According to the document signed by Kenney and Whelan, the panel also will look into cases involving drug delivery and weapons distribution to juveniles; Ponzi and other financial scams, particularly those targeting the elderly; Internet crime; and homicides in Chester, where witnesses routinely refuse to cooperate with investigators. Grand juries can bring contempt charges against uncooperative witnesses.

The Sargent case has remained a mystery for three decades. While leadership changes in subsequent years have eased some tension in the township, in 1982 relations between the black community and police were strained.

Sargent, who may have helped police as an informant in drug cases, was last seen about 2 a.m. Dec. 24. Police said she left the bar and walked past the police station on her way home, about two blocks from the station. Her family reported her missing early Christmas.

Two Darby officers were looked at during the course of the investigation.

William A. McCartney Jr., who was assigned to the Sargent case, was arrested by the District Attorney's Office on an obstruction-of-justice charge, accused of withholding information. Authorities at the time said he did inform other officers that he was one of the last people known to have seen Sargent.

McCartney, who had been fired from the force for misconduct but was reinstated, was acquitted.

Some witnesses said Robert Jay, then a part-time township officer, was also one of the last people to have seen Sargent. He was relieved of duty at the time, but he was never charged.

A man reached by telephone Monday who said he was Jay's son said his father did not want to comment.

"They have moved on," the man said of his parents, who still live in the area. "It was 31 years ago."

He deferred to the District Attorney's Office. "Let the authorities do what they have to do," he said.

Sargent's family could not be reached for comment.