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Case Description

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Elizabeth Ann Dorsaneo, a 55-year-old woman from Thorndale in Chester County, Pennsylvania, was last seen on March 19, 2014. According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System case MP?147770, she was last known to be in Wrightsville, York County, with her boyfriend, Cody Wilkenson, when they went boating on the Susquehanna River.

Search and rescue operations commenced soon after the couple disappeared. Investigators located their boat in the Susquehanna River, partiall ...Read More
Last Seen: Mar 19, 2014

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Victim Details

Jul 16, 2025

Jul 21, 2025

Elizabeth

Dorsaneo

66

55

68 inches

70 inches

150 lbs

175 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the late winter of 2014, a sense of unease began to settle over the friends and family of 55-year-old Elizabeth Ann Dorsaneo. A resident of Thorndale in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth was a beloved figure, and her sudden silence was entirely out of character. The last confirmed sighting of Elizabeth was on or around March 19, 2014. She was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Cody Wilkenson, in the Wrightsville area of York County. The couple was seen putting a boat into the Susquehanna River in Lower Windsor Township, seemingly for a day of recreation on the water. Friends grew worried when Elizabeth, a dependable employee and friend, failed to show up for work on the following Friday and missed another commitment on Saturday. This uncharacteristic behavior prompted them to contact the authorities, officially setting in motion a missing person investigation. The initial search efforts focused on the vast and often treacherous waters of the Susquehanna River. Search crews in boats scoured the river and its many islands in Lancaster County, hoping to find any sign of Elizabeth and Cody, perhaps thinking they had been camping. The first significant break in the case came on March 24, 2014, when the boat the couple had been using was discovered submerged in the river. This discovery intensified the fears of those who knew them, suggesting a tragic accident had occurred. The search continued, holding onto a dwindling hope of finding them alive. That hope was tragically diminished on April 14, 2014, when the body of Cody Wilkenson was located at the Safe Harbor Dam in Lancaster County. The coroner later confirmed his death was an accidental drowning. With Cody found, the search for Elizabeth became even more desperate, as her loved ones grappled with the devastating loss of her companion and the agonizing uncertainty of her whereabouts. More than a year and a half later, a poignant discovery was made that brought Elizabeth�s case back into the light. On December 5, 2015, a backpack belonging to her was found by the Pennsylvania State Police on the shoreline of Martic Township. This finding, so long after she was last seen, provided a tangible link to Elizabeth but offered no solace or answers as to her ultimate fate. Despite the extensive searches and the passage of time, Elizabeth Ann Dorsaneo has never been found. Her case is a heartbreaking story of a recreational outing that ended in tragedy. The official narrative suggests that Elizabeth and her boyfriend were involved in a boating accident, a conclusion supported by the recovery of their submerged boat and Cody Wilkenson's body. While an obituary for Elizabeth states she perished in the accident, the lack of her recovery leaves a painful void for her family and friends. The discovery of her backpack so much later adds a layer of mystery to the final moments of her life, leaving unanswered questions in a case that has grown cold but has not been forgotten.

Mar 19, 2014

Wrightsville

Pennsylvania

York County

Wrightsville

Yes

171995

Hellam Police Department

York

Pennsylvania

York County

17406

35 Walnut Springs Road, Pennsylvania

7174341310

Local

Law Enforcement

HT-14-01735

2014-03-22

Hellam Police Department

Blond/Strawberry

Hazel

Hazel

05/14/2026


Area Last Seen: