Former Fairfield pastor admits to 1975 killing of 8-year-old girl

FAIRFIELD, Calif. - A former Fairfield pastor is facing charges in the 1975 killing of an 8-year-old girl in Pennsylvania who investigators said was abducted during bible camp.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Monday that 83-year-old David Zandstra admitted that he killed Gretchen Harrington after lying about it for 48 years, KRCA reported. Zandstra had been living in Georgia.

"This man is evil," Stollsteimer said. "He killed this poor 8-year-old girl he knew and who trusted him. And, then, he acted as if he was a family friend, not only during her burial and the period after that, but for years."

Zandstra told investigators that in August 1975 he saw Gretchen walking along and offered her a ride. Authorities said Zandstra drove Harrington, the daughter of the pastor, to a wooded area in Pennsylvania where he told her to disrobe and punched her in the head when she refused.

Zandstra is reported to have told investigators that Harrington was bleeding, and he believed she was dead. Investigators say Zandstra covered up her body and left the area.

Two months after Harrington's disappearance, her skeletal remains were found at Ridley Creek State Park. Zandstra was interviewed in 1975 in connection to the murder, but authorities say he denied any involvement.

Nearly 50 years into the cold case investigation, authorities say an interview with a former friend of Zandstra's daughter revealed new leads that connected Zandstra to the murder.

Investigators reported that the former friend accused Zandstra of groping her during a sleepover. When she confronted Zandstra's daughter, she was told "he did that sometimes."

Authorities confronted Zandstra about the murder in July, and investigators say he admitted to the allegations after being presented with the new evidence from the recent interview with his daughter's friend.

Trooper Eugene Tray said the defendant's demeanor was "relieved" as if it was "a weight off his shoulders." Stollsteimer said Zandstra, however, was fighting extradition from Georgia though the prosecutor vowed that he would be returned to face justice in Pennsylvania.

Zandstra has ties to California and Texas after leaving the commonwealth. He had been residing in Georgia.

According to the website for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Zandstra was a pastor at several of its churches in different parts of the country, including in Solano County. The website shows he was at the Fairfield Christian Reformed Church from 1990 to 2005.

"We were heartbroken to hear about Gretchen’s kidnapping and death back in 1975. We are additionally grieved now to hear that a CRC pastor was responsible for her murder," the church said in a statement. "We are grateful that local law enforcement did not stop in their pursuit of answers, and we pray that the truth for Gretchen and any other survivors of abuse or violence will continue to come to light."

FOX 29 Philadelphia contributed to this report.