Pennsylvania Town Lifted Ban on Halloween Fun After Dark

Shauna, whose family no longer lives in the area, was abducted on Oct. 27. Three days later, her battered body was found under a railroad trestle eight miles away.

With the town gripped by fear that a child killer was on the loose, trick-or-treating the next day was held in daylight for the first time. Police watched from helicopters as parents led their children from house to house along quiet streets.

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Residents also began locking their doors and driving their children to school. And every year afterward, the City Council voted to allow trick-or-treating in the afternoon only, a move duplicated around the same time by many other U.S. cities and towns worried about children's safety.

The Oil City murder remained unsolved until a witness came forward four years ago and police turned to DNA evidence. Two brothers were arrested and convicted of murder and sexual assault. A third man pleaded guilty to murder.

Hoping to move Halloween back to night hours, Elizabeth, her mother, grandmother and family friends gathered 175 signatures. The 10-year-old also wrote a paper in which she made her case. Among her reasons: Halloween decorations are best appreciated at night, and many people aren't home during the day to give out candy.

The council vote was unanimous. Elizabeth plans on dressing up as a Goth princess bride.

"Unfortunately, Shauna's tragedy seemed to define Oil City for many years," Oil City blogger John Noel Bartlett wrote on his Web site. "It's time to move on."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.