Cortney Fry, a 19-year-old who just recently gave birth to a daughter, was killed in July 2004.
Micah Stewart, Fry’s boyfriend and father of her child, beat her to death then tried to burn her body in Manor Township woods.
Stewart had accused Fry of being unfaithful and was angry over belief that the child wasn’t his – a paternity test proved it was.
Stewart had been abusive to Fry, who reported a beating to police days before she disappeared.
Fry, who attended Donegal High School, was missing for six months until hunters found her body in January 2005.
Grand jury testimony let to charges being filed against Stewart, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Fry’s family recalls her love for dance, shopping and being with friends. She was happy to be a mother, but her time with her daughter was tragically cut short.
Fry is one of 15 individuals killed in Lancaster County, since 2000, in an act of domestic violence. Two of those individuals were carrying children at the time of their death.
Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman’s office contributed to the national ‘Silent Witness’ memorials, with a display - at various locations across the county - of the lost lives.
A special thank you to the following who shared their spaces: Stevens College, Millersville University, Elizabethtown College, Lancaster General Health, and New Life Church.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us
