$10K reward offered for information about embalmed head found in Beaver County

A $10,000 reward is being offered for this week only in the bizarre case of a woman’s embalmed head that was found lying along a road in Beaver County in 2014.

The Beaver County Detective Bureau and Economy Borough police are offering a $5,000 reward that is being matched by Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible.

The reward expires Sunday.

The head was spotted by a passerby on Dec. 12, 2014, in a rural, wooded area along Mason Road in Economy. Ten days later, investigators released a sketch of the woman, hoping someone would recognize her.

COLD CASE - Embalmed Human Head found in 2014 - BEAVER COUNTY - $10,000 REWARD FOR ONE WEEK ONLY!! https://t.co/fP8oTpnlaR

— PA Crime Stoppers (@PACrimeStoppers) December 12, 2022

She’s white and believed to be at least 50 years old. She had curly, whitish-gray hair and a full set of teeth. It is believed by investigators that she had been laid to rest, which means a funeral home would have been involved, though it is unclear how long prior to the discovery that took place.

“It is believed that the head was in a funeral home, embalmed and prepped for viewing,” according to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.

The head, suspected to have been in the wooded area for less than a month, had been cleanly cut from the rest of the body except the skin on the neck had jagged marks, according to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers. The eyes had been removed from the eye sockets and replaced with red rubber balls. Investigators said that is not a common practice in states where the entire eyeball is removed for organ donations. Only corneal tissue is removed for such donations in Pennsylvania, according to information posted by Crime Stoppers.

Police did not find any other human remains in the area.

Anyone with information can contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS or online here.