Forty-four years after Lonene “Lonnie” Rogers vanished during a Pennsylvania blizzard, advocates will gather at a Meadville courthouse next month to demand justice for her murder.
A Crawford County judge will hold an evidentiary hearing at 8:45 a.m. July 8, for Clinton “Bud” Rogers, 76, who faces criminal homicide and aggravated assault charges in the 1981 death of his wife, Lonnie.
Advocates plan to fill the courtroom to demand justice, not only for Lonnie, but for domestic violence, missing and murdered people nationwide.
Rogers, a 29-year-old deaf mother of two, vanished during a severe snowstorm in Hayfield Township, in January 1981. She left behind her medicine, hearing aids, and purse, leading loved ones to suspect foul play.
The case remained unsolved for nearly 44 years until November 2025, when state police announced that Rogers confessed to choking his wife to death and hiding her body.
Lonnie’s remains have never been found.
The upcoming proceeding reportedly follows a lengthy delay. In March, defense lawyers deferred a court date by arguing that a confession alone cannot secure a homicide conviction without a body.
The pair’s daughter, Alison Duiker, who has relentlessly kept the case in the public eye, is hoping the hearing will provide enough evidence for a conviction.
“A Writ of Habeas Corpus requires the prosecution to prove beyond a confession that a crime did in fact take place,” Duiker told Criminal Enterprise.
“Per the law, in the case of murder, a confession alone is not enough to convict. The hearing will provide evidence, and witness testimony to support the validity of this charge.”
As the voice for her late mother and the backbone for fellow supporters, Duiker is driven by childhood memories of an abusive father who drove “around aimlessly telling his children to look for their mother.”
“The fact that I have woken up several times a week, for over four decades, in the 3 a.m. hour with heart-aching thoughts of my mother is no longer interesting – it’s circumstantial evidence,” Duiker said.
“I am asking anyone that is able to physically attend this hearing at 8:45 a.m. on July 8 to attend in her honor. Attend for the victims of Domestic Violence who never knew how much help there was for them and that there truly was/is a way out.”
Duiker requests supporters to wear purple on July 8 if they are unable to attend the event in person.
The defendant is currently being held without bond.
Alongside her push for a conviction, Duiker is advocating for “Lonnie’s Law,” a proposed state legislation designed to give families access to evidence in cold case files.
To learn more about the case and additional information regarding the upcoming rally, visit the “Justice for Lonnie” Facebook page.
[Featured image: Lonnie Rogers/Handout]
