MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Police are offering a $5000 reward for information that helps solve a 1970 cold case in Monroe County.
Officials continue their investigation into the homicide of John Leonard. He was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the head on the afternoon of September 8, 1970. Leonard was near his taxi cab on the once-iconic Buck Hill Falls Inn grounds near Barrett Township.
Leonard was a taxi driver for Mick's Taxi Service in Cresco, PA. The service received a call from a male requesting a drive from Buck Hill Falls to Mountainhome, PA., an approximate five-mile distance.
Leonard drove two miles from Cresco to the Inn. An employee at the Inn spotted Leonard's 1966 Plymouth sedan driving up to the hotel's main building. A white male with dark hair between the ages of 30 and 40 approached the vehicle.
According to police reports, a man approached the cab carrying a Globe Store bag. Moments later, Leonard was found near his cab with gunshot wounds to his head.
John Leonard was 52 years of age at the time of his murder and was a World War II Veteran.
Investigators are interested in hearing from any waiters or bartenders who worked at Buck Hill Falls Lodge during August/September 1970.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PSP Tips Toll-Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online.