Major breakthrough in hunt for young Maryland sisters 'abducted and dismembered by carny' in 1975

There seems to person been a awesome breakthrough successful nan hunt for young Maryland sisters who were allegedly abducted and dismembered by a carny successful 1975.

The US Marshals Service announced connected Tuesday that based connected 'new evidence' from a acold lawsuit - which they did not specify - nan agency, on pinch different rule enforcement including nan FBI, is searching onshore successful nan Virginia mountains.

That swath of onshore connected Taylors Mountain has agelong been believed to beryllium wherever Lloyd Welch burned nan remains of astatine slightest 1 of nan 2 sisters, Katherine and Sheila Lyon, aft he abducted and killed them, and dismembered their bodies, according to nan Washington Post. 

The girls, ages 10 and 12, had gone missing connected March 25, 1975, aft they walked from their location successful Kensington, Maryland, to a adjacent promenade to person luncheon pinch friends and look astatine Easter decorations.

Authorities now judge nan sisters were kidnapped and taken to Bedford County, Virginia, astir 200 miles away, wherever they were slain sometime betwixt nan day of their abduction and 3 weeks later.

During nan first investigation, a friend of nan girls told constabulary she saw a man staring astatine nan girls and pursuing them astatine nan mall.

At nan time, Welch was an 18-year-old walking carnival worker who had been spending clip successful nan area.

He was questioned by police, but was dismissed arsenic a fishy arsenic authorities focused connected a explanation fixed by different witnesses of an older man pinch a tape-recorder.

But astir 40 years later, successful 2013, acold lawsuit detectives from nan Montgomery County Police Department successful Maryland took different look astatine Welch aft they noticed a striking resemblance betwixt a sketch successful nan lawsuit record and a mug changeable of Welch from nan precocious 1970s.

He was charged pinch 2 counts of murder successful nan girls' killings successful 2015, aft members of his extended family said they saw him carrying 2 ample duffel bags connected spot nan family owned connected Taylor's Mountain successful Bedford County, Virginia.

Welch's cousin, Henry Parker, told detectives he was connected nan onshore successful 1975 erstwhile Welch arrived pinch 2 ample bags, according to a hunt warrant exertion written by investigators and revenge successful court.

'He stated, nether oath, that he met Lloyd Welch astatine nan spot of 3417 and 3404 Taylors Mountain Road,' nan affidavit says, according to nan Washington Post.

'He stated it was 1975. Lloyd arrived astatine nan residence successful a vehicle. He helped Lloyd get retired 2 army-style duffel bags from nan trunk of nan vehicle.'  

Parker said nan bags smelled for illustration 'death,' according to nan affidavit.

He later confirmed his relationship to nan Washington Post.

'I threw immoderate bags successful nan fire, but I didn't cognize what was successful nan bags,' Parker said, explaining that his mother told him to thief his cousin.

Parker insisted he ne'er really saw nan sisters.

Another cousin, Connie Akers, was besides identified arsenic a witnesser to his presence connected nan upland successful 1975.

She told constabulary he had a duffel container containing bloody clothing, which he asked her to wash, but she refused, according to tribunal documents obtained by nan Post.

Akers besides claimed Welch told her he had been carrying astir crushed beef that went bad.

Investigators past conducted forensic digs of nan Taylors Mountain property,  sifting done ungraded wherever nan girls' bodies had perchance been buried, but person frankincense acold not recovered immoderate bones.

Still, Welch yet pleaded blameworthy successful 2017 under a felony execution doctrine for nan killings 'in nan committee of abduction pinch intent to defile.'

He did not, however, admit to straight sidesplitting either girl.

Instead, Welch has said that he took portion successful nan abduction of nan Lyon sisters, and claimed that respective days later he had gone into a dungeon-like basement, wherever he saw his begetter and uncle dismember 1 of nan girls.

He said that nan remains were past put into nan ample bags, which he brought to Bedford County.  

Authorities person besides said that members of Welch's family are suspected to person taken portion successful murders but they themselves are now dormant aliases their nonstop roles could not beryllium proven. 

But by pleading blameworthy to felony first-degree execution he accepted work for their deaths because nan sisters were taken specifically to beryllium killed. 

Investigators are now besides willing successful his past arsenic a carny, erstwhile he traveled astir nan state and was arrested for activity offense-related crimes, nan Post  reports.

In 1992, successful South Carolina, a 10-year-old woman who had been staying pinch him watched a scary movie, became frightened and sewage into furniture pinch Welch.

She awoke to find him molesting her.

Welch pleaded blameworthy to nan crime 2 years later, and was sentenced to 18 months down bars.

Just 3 years later, successful Delaware, Welch started playing pornographic films successful nan beingness of different 10-year-old girl, whom he abused for much than a week.

Welch pleaded blameworthy to that crime arsenic well, and is now serving a lengthy condemnation successful Delaware.

Then, erstwhile Welch pleaded blameworthy to execution successful nan Lyon sister case, he besides pleaded blameworthy to 2 unrelated kid activity battle cases successful Prince William County, Virginia, which day backmost to nan 1990s.

He is now owed to beryllium released from his Delaware condemnation successful January, astatine which constituent he will commencement serving clip successful Virginia.