Chapter 4 – The Investigation
Friday December 24, 1965 – Tuesday December 27, 1965
Officer Sheetz alerted the Pennsylvania State Police and shortly a crew of investigators descended on Richland and began the process of scouring the crime scene and interviewing neighbors to try to find anyone who may have seen anything suspicious.
Carrie Layser’s body was removed from her house to be taken for a full autopsy, but even a preliminary assessment indicated that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. When the autopsy report was completed, it revealed that death occurred between the hours of 10:00 PM December 23 and 5:00 AM December 24.
Meanwhile, investigators were initially led astray by reports of burglaries and indecent telephone calls that had been taking place in the neighborhood since October, but those were ultimately considered unrelated.
Investigators soon zeroed in on a report of a 58 bluish-green Chevy that had been seen parked in Carrie Layser’s driveway during the early morning hours of December 24.
On Saturday December 25, when most folks were celebrating the Christmas holiday, or at least trying to given the recent horrific events, investigating officers learned that a car matching the description of the one seen in the Layser driveway was owned by Diane Sites, so two officers went to the apartment of Diane and Dennis Sites. Dennis Sites answered their knock and replied to their questions.
The following day, Sunday December 26, Lebanon County District Attorney Alvin B. Lewis Jr. reviewed the evidence that had been collected so far and sent State Police Officers Sgt. Joseph Everly and Sgt. Shuck back to question Sites further. They located him at the home of U. Samuel Weiss, Site’s father-in-law, on N. Race Street and requested that he accompany them to his own apartment for questioning. Sites agreed.
At his apartment the officers began to warn him of his rights, when he blurted out: “I know my damn rights! Do you think I’m an idiot? I watch TV.”
Nevertheless, they explained that he had the right to remain silent, that anything he said could be used against him in court, and that he had the right to be represented by counsel.
At first he outright lied to them about his whereabouts on the night and morning of the 23rd and 24th, but the officers could refute those lies from the statements of other witnesses.
As they continued to question him, he made what they considered to be incriminating statements, and he was placed under arrest for the murder of Carrie Layser. He also signed a consent for the police to search his apartment without a search warrant.
Then he was taken to Carrie Layser’s house where District Attorney Alvin B. Lewis Jr. once again informed him of his rights including that if he could not afford an attorney, one would probably appointed by the court.
At that point Sites made a more complete statement which was recorded on a tape recorder.
Afterwards the police officers drove him to the Reading Hospital so he could see his wife and newborn son, but the attending physician prevented Sites from seeing them.
Then Sites was taken to the Reading police barracks where he was fingerprinted and photographed.
After this Sites was returned to the Layser house and attempts were made to refresh his memory. As a result, another tape recording was made with even more damaging information.
The Monday December 27 edition of the Lebanon Daily News ran the headline:
Charge Richland Man, 22 In Slaying
Husky County Man Is Picked Up
At Home Following Manhunt, Is
Jailed For Preliminary Hearing
Among other details that were published, the article mentioned that the 66-year-old Mrs. Layser was four feet, 10 1/2 inches tall and weighed about 125 pounds, while her alleged killer was five feet, nine inches tall and weighed 200 pounds.
The District Attorney was quoted as saying that a sexual assault was involved in the murder.
On that same day Sgt. Everly took Sites from the county jail to once again try to see his wife and newborn child at the Reading Hospital.
As Sgt. Everly testified later, when they arrived at the front of the hospital, Samuel and Pauline Weiss, the parents of Diane, Sites’s wife, were just emerging.
“What are you doing here?” demanded Samuel Weiss.
“I just want to see Diane—and my son,” replied Sites.
“Well, you can’t see her. She’s been sedated. When she learned what you did—she got hysterical— The doctors had to drug her to calm her down.” He stared at Sites. “So is it true? Did you do it? Did you murder Carrie Layser?”
“Yes, I did!”
“Why? What on earth possessed you? What’s wrong with you?”
“I thought I was at home.”
Pauline gasped. “If you were at home, I guess the same thing would have happened to Diane.”
“I guess so.”
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