Pocono News Section

More Details About Human Remains Found in Poconos

More Details About Human Remains Found in Poconos - Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 8:30PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Thursday, Jun 25, 2009 @ 08:30pm EST
MOUNT POCONO, MONROE COUNTY - Annette Rispoli reported her friend Bill Bishop missing four years ago. She cried, "I miss him every minute of the day."

A tree cutter found his remains in Mount Pocono last week. "We never give up, we always look into it," said Pocono Mountain Regional Police Detective Richard Luthke.

"I didn't want it to end this way," said Annette. She said Bill was a great friend who helped her deal with being a single mother. She added, "He had a heart bigger than you could even imagine."

Annette said Bill changed when he and his wife split up and he could no longer see his children. His Bipolar Disorder seemed worse and he turned to the bottle. She said,"He had some problems - he had some up and downs but he would have done anything and everything for anyone in the world."

He then moved in with friends who she said dropped him off in Mount Pocono one day. She cried, "I never seen him again after that day." She and her son searched the woods on one side of Route 940 for days but they never thought to cross the road because there is a steep embankment on the other side. She explained, "It just is an area - people don't walk on that side of the road."

Once someone found the remains, police quickly identified them. Luthke said, "We had the medical records, we had x-rays standing by."

Now all Annette has to remember her friend by is his old army uniform. He gave it to her for safekeeping. She hopes to give it to his children. She said, "His kids were his world, he loved his children."

Police say Bill's death doesn't appear to be suspicious and he likely died within days of his disappearance.