ERIE (WOLF) — An Indiana man has been charged with rape, kidnapping and murder in the 2002 disappearance of 20-year-old Sabrina Kahler, whose body has never been found.
Attorney General Dave Sunday and Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz announced Monday that a statewide investigating grand jury recommended charges against David Heck, now 50.
Investigators allege Heck picked up Kahler from her Erie home on June 24, 2002, to go swimming. Authorities say he later took her to the Fairview Gravel Pits, where he raped and killed her.
According to the attorney general’s office, Heck later recruited an acquaintance to help move Kahler’s body to the Elk Creek Access area, where it was buried. Searches have continued in the area, which investigators say has changed significantly over the past 24 years.
The charges follow testimony before the grand jury from former acquaintances of Heck, including one man who allegedly said he helped move and bury Kahler’s body.
Heck was taken into custody at his Indiana home late Monday. The state attorney general’s office and Erie County district attorney will prosecute the case.