Investigators close in on answers in Lyon sisters case

WASHINGTON – Multiple people likely were involved in the abduction and murder of two Montgomery County sisters who disappeared in 1975, investigators suggested Wednesday as the search of a Virginia mountain for evidence related to the case continued.

“We are looking to recover evidence that will ultimately hold those that harmed those girls responsible in a court of law, which includes Lloyd Welch and family members,” says Captain Darren Francke with the Montgomery County Police Department. “We believe we have finally zeroed in where we need to to find out the truth of what happened to those girls.”

Investigators from multiple agencies have been searching a property in Bedford County, Virginia, with ties to Welch, the man previously identified as a person of interest in the girls’ 1975 disappearance.

Sheila, 10, and 12-year-old Katherine Lyon went to Wheaton Plaza for lunch and were never heard from again.

Randy Krantz, the Bedford County commonwealth’s attorney, says that investigators in Virginia are talking to individuals with knowledge about the girls’ abduction and also their murder. He said investigators are getting closer to knowing the truth and bringing justice to their family.

“We know who was responsible, each and every one of them,” Krantz says.

Francke says a tip led cold case investigators to the property. Investigators will spend several more days combing the mountain looking for evidence. Cadaver dogs were aiding in the search, Francke says.

“We will find out the entire truth. We know a lot already,” he says.

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