Human remains confirmed to belong to missing Oil City woman

Cornplanter Twp., Pa. ( WJET/WFXP ) — The remains of an Oil City woman who had been missing since Christmas have been found.

That’s according to ExploreVenango who says that the Venango County Coroner, Cristina Rugh, has confirmed that the remains found by a hunter in Cornplater Township on September 2 belong to 37-year-old Kathryn Sloan.

The hunter reportedly found the remains in a wooded area near Colonial Village in Cornplanter Township, Venango County.

The remains were sent to Mercyhurst for analysis. The identification was made after a thorough exam and consultation with forensic experts.

The chair of the applied forensics sciences department, Dennis Dirkmaat Ph.D. of Mercyhurst University says a search took place to recover all evidence from the scene and then the bones will be assessed to determine an identification.

Dirkmaat says a report will be prepared following the analysis. He said this is a document that could be presented to the court if the person died as a result of a homicide. He said this would take two to three weeks to prepare.

Authorities have not released any more information about the case at this time, including the cause of death.

Family members first reported to PSP that 37-year-old Kathryn Sloan of Oil City has not been seen since Christmas of 2023. They also reported that her last known address was 68 Rockwood Avenue, Cornplanter Township, Venango County.

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