Some cases do not end when the headlines fade. They stay with investigators, families, and communities for decades. They become a weight that never fully lifts — a question without an answer, a wound without closure.That is the heart of Still Searching, a new WGAL series dedicated to the pursuit of truth: helping authorities, families, and the public keep attention on missing persons, suspects, and cold cases that still demand answers.You can view part 1 of Still Searching in the video player above. Maryann Bagenstose, a Lancaster County woman, vanished in June 1984, leaving behind a 2-year-old son and a custody battle. To those who knew her, the idea that she would simply walk away made no sense. She was the mother of a 2-year-old boy, Jeremy, and she was fighting for full custody. Family and friends said she would never leave her son behind.Estranged husband speaks to investigatorsBut according to her estranged husband, Jere Bagenstose, that is exactly what happened.Jere told investigators that on June 5, Maryann left home to walk to the store and never came back. He claimed she left a note. But no note was ever found, and accounts of what it supposedly said were inconsistent.”Maryann was supposed to have left a note that she was walking to the store. Different variations of what that note said we’re never learned because we never found a note,” said retired Pennsylvania State Trooper Dick Johnson.From the start, investigators were uneasy. Jere and Maryann had separated. He was living with his parents, while Maryann remained at the home on West Willow Road with their son.More alarming, authorities learned Jere had not initially contacted police about her disappearance; it was her mother, Geraldine Durham.Durham also contacted a licensed private detective named Richard Jeffries to help find Maryann.When questioned, Jere admitted he had not contacted police about his missing wife. That answer raised immediate red flags. Investigators quickly began to suspect this was not a simple missing-person case, but something far more sinister.”I can tell you already that you don’t just look at it as a missing person. They were looking at it at that point that maybe something nefarious happened to her,” said retired Pennsylvania State Trooper Raymond Guth.Startling discovery When authorities arrived at the property, they found Jere digging a deep hole in the backyard. Investigators described it as grave-like.”Finding a hole in the backyard where there’s a missing person has is a clue that you have to work on right away because we thought there’s a possibility Maryann could be in that hole,” Johnson said.A search warrant was obtained, and the hole was excavated. Maryann was not there. But for investigators, the message was clear: whatever had happened to her, foul play was now at the center of the case.The search intensifiedPolice followed leads from the air and on the ground. They checked reports of strange odors, searched fields where turkey buzzards had been seen circling, and investigated every possible sighting.Again and again, one location drew their attention: Shenks Ferry, a rugged nature preserve in Lancaster County. It was an area Jere was believed to know well.At one point, private investigator Richard Jeffries said Jere called him and claimed he thought he knew where Maryann was buried. Jere suggested that if someone had harmed her, her body might be at Shenks Ferry. Then, Jere offered to take Jeffries there. Jeffries said Jere claimed he had never been to Shenks Ferry before. Yet, he drove straight there, as if he knew exactly where he was going.Once inside the preserve, Jere broke away from the group. When Jeffries found him again, he was standing silently, staring. Moments later, Jere began shouting that they were leaving. Jeffries said they never spoke again.As the years passed, the investigation changed. The question was no longer only who killed Maryann.You can view part 2 of Still Searching in the video player below.Where is her body?Authorities chased every lead. They checked her bank records and Social Security activity. They investigated reported sightings. Bones discovered in a wooded area were tested, but they turned out to be animal remains.Tips continued to come in through the National Crime Information Center. But as the years stretched into decades, those leads became fewer and farther between.Still, investigators never stopped searching. They returned to Shenks Ferry multiple times, using grid searches and cadaver dogs. But the terrain was unforgiving — steep hills, thick brush, and nearly 100 acres of difficult ground. Even after all those searches, no trace of Maryann was found.Case takes dramatic turn after nearly four decadesIn 2022, Pennsylvania State Police arrested Jere Bagenstose for killing his wife. In 2025, after a rare no-body homicide trial, a jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter.Witnesses testified about the troubled marriage and the custody dispute. One day care worker recalled a chilling warning Maryann had made before she vanished: if anything ever happened to her, Jere would be responsible.A judge later sentenced him to up to 10 years in prison.For investigators and for Maryann’s family, the conviction brought a measure of justice, but not closure. Maryann Bagenstose remains officially missing.Body never foundHer body has never been found. Some investigators believe she may have been moved more than once. Others still suspect Shenks Ferry holds the answer. And some fear the truth may never fully emerge unless Jere himself decides to reveal it.For the people who spent years searching for her, that uncertainty has never gone away. Because in a case like this, even a conviction cannot end the story.Not when the missing are still missing.Not when a family is still waiting.And not when the search for Maryann Bagenstose continues.If you know anything about the case, you’re asked to call state police.
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. —
Some cases do not end when the headlines fade. They stay with investigators, families, and communities for decades. They become a weight that never fully lifts — a question without an answer, a wound without closure.
That is the heart of Still Searching, a new WGAL series dedicated to the pursuit of truth: helping authorities, families, and the public keep attention on missing persons, suspects, and cold cases that still demand answers.
You can view part 1 of Still Searching in the video player above.
Maryann Bagenstose, a Lancaster County woman, vanished in June 1984, leaving behind a 2-year-old son and a custody battle.
To those who knew her, the idea that she would simply walk away made no sense. She was the mother of a 2-year-old boy, Jeremy, and she was fighting for full custody. Family and friends said she would never leave her son behind.
Estranged husband speaks to investigators
But according to her estranged husband, Jere Bagenstose, that is exactly what happened.
Hearst OwnedWGAL
Jere and Maryann Bagenstose
Jere told investigators that on June 5, Maryann left home to walk to the store and never came back. He claimed she left a note. But no note was ever found, and accounts of what it supposedly said were inconsistent.
“Maryann was supposed to have left a note that she was walking to the store. Different variations of what that note said we’re never learned because we never found a note,” said retired Pennsylvania State Trooper Dick Johnson.
From the start, investigators were uneasy. Jere and Maryann had separated. He was living with his parents, while Maryann remained at the home on West Willow Road with their son.
Hearst OwnedWGAL
House on West Willow Road
More alarming, authorities learned Jere had not initially contacted police about her disappearance; it was her mother, Geraldine Durham.
Durham also contacted a licensed private detective named Richard Jeffries to help find Maryann.
When questioned, Jere admitted he had not contacted police about his missing wife. That answer raised immediate red flags. Investigators quickly began to suspect this was not a simple missing-person case, but something far more sinister.
“I can tell you already that you don’t just look at it as a missing person. They were looking at it at that point that maybe something nefarious happened to her,” said retired Pennsylvania State Trooper Raymond Guth.
Startling discovery
When authorities arrived at the property, they found Jere digging a deep hole in the backyard. Investigators described it as grave-like.
“Finding a hole in the backyard where there’s a missing person has is a clue that you have to work on right away because we thought there’s a possibility Maryann could be in that hole,” Johnson said.
A search warrant was obtained, and the hole was excavated. Maryann was not there. But for investigators, the message was clear: whatever had happened to her, foul play was now at the center of the case.
The search intensified
Police followed leads from the air and on the ground. They checked reports of strange odors, searched fields where turkey buzzards had been seen circling, and investigated every possible sighting.
Again and again, one location drew their attention: Shenks Ferry, a rugged nature preserve in Lancaster County. It was an area Jere was believed to know well.
Hearst OwnedWGAL
Shenks Ferry
At one point, private investigator Richard Jeffries said Jere called him and claimed he thought he knew where Maryann was buried. Jere suggested that if someone had harmed her, her body might be at Shenks Ferry. Then, Jere offered to take Jeffries there. Jeffries said Jere claimed he had never been to Shenks Ferry before. Yet, he drove straight there, as if he knew exactly where he was going.
Once inside the preserve, Jere broke away from the group. When Jeffries found him again, he was standing silently, staring. Moments later, Jere began shouting that they were leaving. Jeffries said they never spoke again.
As the years passed, the investigation changed. The question was no longer only who killed Maryann.
You can view part 2 of Still Searching in the video player below.
Where is her body?
Authorities chased every lead. They checked her bank records and Social Security activity. They investigated reported sightings. Bones discovered in a wooded area were tested, but they turned out to be animal remains.
Tips continued to come in through the National Crime Information Center. But as the years stretched into decades, those leads became fewer and farther between.
Still, investigators never stopped searching. They returned to Shenks Ferry multiple times, using grid searches and cadaver dogs. But the terrain was unforgiving — steep hills, thick brush, and nearly 100 acres of difficult ground. Even after all those searches, no trace of Maryann was found.
Case takes dramatic turn after nearly four decades
In 2022, Pennsylvania State Police arrested Jere Bagenstose for killing his wife. In 2025, after a rare no-body homicide trial, a jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Witnesses testified about the troubled marriage and the custody dispute. One day care worker recalled a chilling warning Maryann had made before she vanished: if anything ever happened to her, Jere would be responsible.
A judge later sentenced him to up to 10 years in prison.
For investigators and for Maryann’s family, the conviction brought a measure of justice, but not closure. Maryann Bagenstose remains officially missing.
Body never found
Her body has never been found. Some investigators believe she may have been moved more than once. Others still suspect Shenks Ferry holds the answer. And some fear the truth may never fully emerge unless Jere himself decides to reveal it.
For the people who spent years searching for her, that uncertainty has never gone away. Because in a case like this, even a conviction cannot end the story.
Not when the missing are still missing.
Not when a family is still waiting.
And not when the search for Maryann Bagenstose continues.
If you know anything about the case, you’re asked to call state police.