Autopsy pending Testing continues to identify woman found at river bank

The family and friends of Sharon Weaver still do not have confirmed proof from the coroner's office that the woman found dead on in Slatington on Jan. 5 is their loved one.

Scott M. Grim, Lehigh County Coroner said that he has still not positively identified the woman, nor has determined the cause of her death.

"The autopsy is still pending," Grim noted Friday when contacted by telephone.

Grim sent out releases noting that a Deputy Coroner Ray Anthony pronounced Jane Doe dead at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 5, when she was discovered along the west side bank of the Lehigh River, adjacent to the 200 block of Railroad St., Slatington.

Grim is in the process of using dental records to determine the woman's identity. If dental records are not conclusive, he will use DNA testing.

The Lehigh County Coroner's office and the Pennsylvania State Police, Lehighton Barracks, are conducting the investigation.

Weaver has been missing since Nov. 4, when she was last seen at the Boathouse, a bar along Canal Road in Franklin Township, with her boyfriend, Richard (Sonny) Kern. Since Weaver has been missing, she has missed her daughter Kristen's birthday and Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays celebrations with her family.

Ironically, her friends were planning a vigil in the Weissport park on the evening of Jan. 6 to keep her memory alive.

Weaver was considered an endangered person when she became missing because she took medication for epilepsy and high blood pressure.

The clothing found on Jane Doe did match the description of the clothing that Sharon Weaver was last seen wearing at the Boathouse. The woman found along the river bank was wearing blue jeans and a gray sweat shirt, which is what Weaver was wearing when she went missing.