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Crews Find Evidence Underwater in Barbara Miller Cold Case

WEST CHILLISQUAQUE TOWNSHIP — Crews searching a pond near Sunbury found new evidence in connection with a nearly 30-year-old cold case in Northumberland C...

WEST CHILLISQUAQUE TOWNSHIP -- Crews searching a pond near Sunbury found new evidence in connection with a nearly 30-year-old cold case in Northumberland County. Authorities said the county coroner has been called to the scene.

Sunbury police tell Newswatch 16 they found evidence in the pond in West Chillisquaque Township, near Montandon in Northumberland County.

Sunbury police said they found what they were looking for. They found a container buried in the pond but would not say what is in that container.

The yellow container holds evidence in the 1989 Barbara Miller cold case homicide, according to Sunbury police.

Investigators spent around eight hours searching this pond along Route 45 near Montandon.

Miller went missing in 1989. Her case was recently reopened.

Police tell Newswatch 16 after months of interviews, the next phase of their investigation led them here. They found the particular piece of evidence they were looking for and carried it away inside a yellow container. Police would not say exactly what that evidence is only that it was a container buried in the pond.

Miller disappeared in July of 1989 and her body was never found.

According to the search warrant, the prime suspect in Miller's disappearance is Joseph Egan, who goes by the nickname "Mike." He is a former Sunbury police detective and Miller's ex-boyfriend.

In early June, the cold case was reopened when police spent close to one week searching a house in Milton. Evidence was taken from that house and is being looked over by forensic experts.

On Wednesday night, Sunbury police and a state police forensic unit were at the last home where Barbara Miller lived in Sunbury. Authorities also took pieces of evidence from the house.

Over the past few months, police have done many interviews and say their investigation led them here.

Several people who live along Route 45 came outside to watch.

"Growing up when I was younger, we used to fish in this pond a long time ago so that really hits home that they're searching here and there might be something," said Greg Murphy.

Bill Bastian thought this was part of a different missing person investigation in this area.

"A few years ago there was a guy missing, Gricar the D.A., I thought they were looking for him."

Sunbury police confirmed that this search was connected to the Barbara Miller case.

They are looking over that evidence they found in the pond and are expected to come out with a statement shortly.

An earlier version of this report indicated that crews were searching the Susquehanna River. That was incorrect.

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