Attachments

20231019-164702-SW Affidavit - Peet Road.pdf

DREHER TWP, PA — On Tuesday, October 17,  Wayne County Coroner Edward R. Howell was advised by Pennsylvania  State Police at 10:31 a.m. of the discovery of skeletal remains unearthed on a property located on Peet  Road in Dreher Township. 

Coroner Howell and Chief Deputy Coroner Mark M. James immediately responded together to the  scene and arrived at 11:09 a.m.

The remains were examined by both Howell and Chief James and determined to be  consistent with human remains. The death of an unidentified adult human was pronounced at 11:14  a.m. by Howell. 

The forensic anthropology team at Mercyhurst University was notified and  engaged in this death investigation.  

On October 18, the Mercyhurst University Forensic Sciences Team arrived at the  scene and worked with the Wayne County Coroner’s Office and the Pennsylvania State Police among  other investigative and law enforcement agencies to recover the remains and concurrently continue  the investigation. 

From the beginning of this investigation, law enforcement believed the identity of the skeletal remains  to be that of Stephen C. Lepore of Tobyhanna who has been a missing person since August of 2012.  Antemortem dental records of Lepore were obtained and utilized to compare to the post-mortem  artifact recovered on October 18.

On October 19, the coroner’s office positively identified the skeletal  remains to be that of the decedent, Stephen C. Lepore. His family has been notified.

The coroner's office press release also identified a gunshot wound to the head as the cause of death and labeled the "manner of death" a homicide.