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York County man charged with homicide after investigation of Harrisburg woman's death in 2020

Cody Gerber, 31, is charged after a two-year investigation into the death of Emily Pritsch on Oct. 4, 2020, according to Northern York County Regional Police.
Credit: Northern York County Regional Police
Cody Gerber

DILLSBURG, Pa. — A York County man has been charged with criminal homicide and other offenses relating to the death of a Harrisburg woman in October 2020.

Cody Allen Gerber, 31, was charged after a two-year investigation into the death of Emily Pritsch, who died of multiple traumatic injuries and fentanyl toxicity on Oct. 4, 2020, according to Northern York County Regional Police.

Gerber, of Dillsburg, called police that morning to report Pritsch's death, and admitted that the two had been together since the previous evening after meeting on an online dating app. 

Pritsch's body was found inside her 2006 Volkswagen Jetta, which was parked in Harrisburg. Gerber was also in the vehicle when police found the body, according to investigators.

Gerber called police to report her death at 7 a.m., but the vehicle wasn't discovered until 2 p.m., according to police.

In an interview with Northern York County Regional Police, Gerber said he and Pritsch had met at a local bar around 5 p.m. the previous night. 

A forensic examination of Gerber's phone confirmed the two had planned a meeting. The examination also determined Pritsch had died at Gerber's Dillsburg-area home.

According to police, videos found on Gerber's phone showed Pritsch lying nude in a fetal position on a loveseat, naked and seemingly unconscious. The earliest video showing her in this position was found at 12:01 a.m., police said. Several subsequent videos shot at 12:10 a.m., 1 a.m., and 2:37 a.m. depicted her lying in the same position and in the same state, according to police.

At approximately 4:39 a.m., a video of Pritsch's face was then observed, in which she was wearing a shirt and presumably dead. There was a caption attached to the video that said "God had taken an angel," police said.

An autopsy ruled Pritsch's manner of death was a homicide, according to police. She had numerous contusions to her head and neck, chest, abdomen and back, along with abrasions on her back and lower extremities. Grassy debris was also found in her hair and legs, police said.

The injuries to the abdomen are consistent with repeated kicks, knees or stomping and are not consistent with accidental causes, the autopsy said.

The case has been under forensic pathologist review and police investigation for the past 23 months, according to police. Final opinions on the injuries were issued by the forensic pathologist on September 28. 

The findings determined:

  1. The injuries present at autopsy in conjunction with the microscopic slides are less than 6 to 8 hours based upon cellular types.
  2. The degree of white blood cells, presence of hemorrhage and congestion taken in conjunction with the injuries documented in the autopsy report indicate that the injuries occur in as little as 5 to 15 minutes up to a few hours before death.

Gerber is charged with third-degree homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and abuse of a corpse.

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