Noor Malhotra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: I Don’t Believe in Forgiveness’ takes a detailed look at the murders that were perpetrated by Manuel Gehring. The 44-year-old father had shot his own children, 14-year-old Sarah Gehring and 11-year-old Philip Gehring, after the July 4 fireworks in New Hampshire in 2003. He then drove across the country with their bodies in his car to the Midwest, where he buried them. The exact location was unknown for two years after the crime. Despite the mother, Teri Knight, putting all her might into the search effort, it was ultimately a kind-hearted and dedicated stranger who discovered the bodies of the children.
Stephanie Dietrich Had No Personal Ties With the Gehrings
Stephanie Dietrich is the woman responsible for unearthing the burial site of the children. At the time, she was a 44-year-old grocery store cashier at Acme who lived in Akron, Ohio, 15 miles away from where she would eventually find the corpses. She also had two children, who were in their 20s at the time. Therefore, when she heard of Sarah and Philips’ double homicide at the hands of their own father, she put herself in their mother’s shoes and decided she would do everything in her power to find them. She was just being a good Samaritan.
Before the patriarch, Manuel Gehring, died by suicide in his prison cell while awaiting trial in February 2004, he had given authorities vague clues about the burial site. Stephanie said that she read these clues in a transcript and started a search for the location. When she went for walks with her dog Ricco, she would carry along a shovel just in case she discovered something. She would then dig up potential sites and, after a while, even started obsessing over the task at hand. Then, she would call the FBI with any potential updates.
Stephanie said that she never did this in an attempt to gain any fame or recognition from it – a fact not many believed, especially not detectives. Instead, most of them just became suspicious as to why she had just a vested interest in this horrid case. However, it was this same interest that ultimately led to the recovery of Sarah and Philips’ remains on December 1, 2005. While on a walk with her dog, as per her own statements, she found a tree matching the description Gehring had given. Her dog also acted strangely on the side of this dirt road, and so, she dug there to find a black plastic bag with duct tape. She called the authorities, who then took over.
Stephanie Dietrich is Leading a Quiet Life today
The Senior Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire, Jeff Strelzin, said this about Stephanie and her efforts— “She’s a great person. he’s a mother who obviously was just hit with the story of what happened to Philip and Sarah and really felt in her own heart the appeal she heard from Teri.” For her contribution to the case, she was later even honored by the FBI at their Boston office in 2006. Ken Kaiser, the Special Agent In Charge, gave her a plaque, a cheque for $10,000, and a letter of gratitude from the then-director of the agency, Robert S. Mueller.
According to the FBI website, in the letter, the former director candidly wrote, in part, “Your willingness to voluntarily devote your own time and resources to involve yourself in this very difficult search speaks volumes of your character and compassion. The FBI owes you a debt of gratitude for your diligence and hard work in this matter.” According to reports, Stephanie’s dog Ricco was also honored at this ceremony, and he was given a special “FBI K-9 Unit” dog collar. Teri and her second husband, James Knight, were also present at the ceremony. As for Stephanie’s current standing, from what we can tell, this 60-something-year-old Akron, Ohio, native prefers to stay well away from the limelight these days so as to protect her privacy.
Read More: Where is Teri Knight Now?
