Year later, investigation still open
No new information on woman whose decomposed body was found in Williams Township home.
One year after Jamie Metzger's badly decomposed body was pulled from the basement of a Williams Township home, state police say they are still investigating the New Tripoli woman's death as a possible homicide.
Lt. Kreg S. Rodrigues, the commander of Troop M's criminal investigations section, confirmed that investigators met last week to discuss the cause of Metzger's death, a question that has lingered since Dec. 7, 2017, when a man discovered her body in a sealed 50-gallon plastic storage bin.
The meeting comes on the heels of a story and podcast series by The Morning Call which focused on Metzger's life, disappearance and the stalled investigation.
State police Trooper Ryan Seiple, the lead investigator in Metzger's death investigation, said he met with the coroner's office Wednesday for an update. He referred all other comments to Rodrigues, who said there was no new information to report, but that authorities would continue to investigate Metzger's case as a “homicide/suspicious death.”
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who is expected to announce the findings of the investigation, said Friday “it's under investigation,” and declined to elaborate.
Metzger's badly decomposed body was found in a bin of a basement of a home owned by her boyfriend's father. Authorities say family members of the boyfriend, Carl Maes, have cooperated with the investigation.
Metzger was 38 when she went missing in 2014. At the time, she was addicted to drugs and living a transient life, although her family said she always kept in contact and frequently checked in on her children and ailing mother.
Metzger's disappearance was investigated by Allentown police, but their findings were never made public. Unbeknownst to her family, Metzger's name was never placed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, a tool used to locate missing persons.
Three years after Metzger disappeared, Maes died of a drug overdose in a Hanover Township, Lehigh County, motel. He was 45. Metzger's family members say they believe Maes held the key in determining exactly what happened to her, but he told investigators that he didn't know where she was. Detectives involved in the investigation declined to be interviewed for the series.
Forensic experts interviewed for the series said they could not understand why the investigation is taking so long. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek declined to be interviewed.
Metzger and Maes had a violent relationship, according to police and Metzger's family. In 2012, Allentown police charged Maes with assaulting Metzger at an Allentown bodega. Court records say Metzger showed bruises on her arms and neck to officers who responded to a 911 call at Liberty Lunch in Allentown. Maes threw punches at officers who tried to arrest him, court records say, and police found a box cutter in his pocket.
Maes pleaded guilty to assaulting Metzger and was sentenced to serve 45 days in jail. After his release, the couple reunited.
Metzger's family said she became addicted to painkillers after several surgeries that included a gastric bypass and the removal of bulging veins in her legs. Before addiction took over her life, Metzger was outgoing, said friends interviewed for the series. She loved to tell funny stories and sing karaoke.
“She would always make you feel good,” said Becky Wright, who worked with Metzger. “Just a loving, kindhearted person.”