A gold ring collected as evidence in a 1977 Buckingham Township murder is now back in the hands of the victim’s family. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub presented the ring to Grace Ritterson Gordon, sister of homicide victim Shaun Eileen Ritterson, after she called to ask about it. Brooks Holton covered the return for PhillyVoice.

Despite few advances in the case across its 40-year history, no one was ever charged in Ritterson’s killing. Her body was found in what was then called Church Hill, near Holicong Road.

Gordon requested the ring in memory of her sister’s approaching 65th birthday. When she was told the jewelry piece was still in an evidence locker, she was “ecstatic.”

“I told my mom, and she was very, very excited,” Gordon said. “She doesn’t wear jewelry, but of course she wants to see it. I am going to get it cleaned up, and I am going to wear it on a necklace to bring [Shaun] closer to my heart.”

Weintraub said returning the ring to Ritterson’s family was “the right thing to do.”

He continued, “To me, it signifies that no victim is ever forgotten. Our humanity is much more important [than] preserving a piece of evidence in an old, old case just for the sake of posterity.”

The case remains open. Anyone with helpful details on this decades-old crime can email the District Attorney’s Office or call 215.348.6354.

More on this story is at PhillyVoice.