Community Corner

$10,000 Reward to Be Offered in New Britain Teen's 20-Year Cold Case Slaying

Julie Barnyock, 18, of New Britain, disappeared Nov. 8, 1993. Her body was found Dec. 2, 1993 in weeds at Lansdale train yard.

Nov. 8, 1993 was the last time anyone saw Central Bucks West graduate Julie Barnyock alive when she left her New Britain Township home to head to South Street in Philadelphia to visit friends.
It wouldn't be until Dec. 2 when a homeless man would find the 18-year-old's decomposed body in weeds at SEPTA's Lansdale train yard. Her head was crushed beyond recognition and she was naked from the waist down.
On Friday, 20 years after her disappearance, Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre and Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman will announce the posting of a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her murder.
The announcement will be made at a press conference Friday at 11 a.m. in the Montgomery County Detectives’ Training Room at One Montgomery Plaza, Suite 502, Norristown.
Detectives conducted 130 interviews in 1993, but everything came up cold.
To this day, the killer has never been found.
According to reports, Julie called her mother, Gloria, late in the evening of Nov. 8, 1993 for a ride home, and planned to meet at Lansdale train station, but the phone was suddenly slammed down. Gloria remembered a nervous tone in her daughter's voice, according to articles. Her father, Joseph, drove to Lansdale train station to meet her, but she never showed up.
Detectives had two primary suspects pinned in the case, according to The Morning Call in a story published over a decade ago : A 25-year-old homeless man who had a relationship with Julie, and a 26-year-old man serving a 20-year sentence for attacking women at train stations, including Lansdale. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here