The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General has declined to open an investigation into the case of missing Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar on claims that the department does not have jurisdiction.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, wrote a letter Dec. 2 to Inspector General Glenn Fine demanding a "fresh, complete and independent investigation" of Gricar's disappearance and the death of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Luna, who was found murdered in Pennsylvania Dec. 4, 2003.

According to Fine's letter of response on Dec. 8, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General does not have jurisdiction in the Gricar case because "it does not involve the actions of Department of Justice employees."

Cohen asked for an investigation into the cases that Gricar and Luna had prosecuted to explore the possibility that they may have "met with retribution due to the conduct of their jobs."

Bellefonte Police Officer Darrel Zaccagni said in an interview with The Collegian Dec. 9 that police have been open to anyone who wants to participate in the investigation since the beginning of the case. He added that a list of possible suspects — some of whom were involved in cases Gricar prosecuted — had been compiled and investigated.

In Fine's letter, he said the FBI is investigating Luna's case and directed Cohen to contact the FBI, which is separate from the inspector general, with his concerns in the Gricar case.

The FBI conducted testing on Gricar's hard drive, which was found in early October, but no data could be recovered because of its condition. It was found 10 to 15 feet from the riverbank of the Susquehanna River and about 100 yards away from where his laptop computer was discovered in July.

The FBI was also involved with investigating cell phone photos taken Aug. 8 in a Texas Chili's Grill & Bar. The man in the photos resembled Gricar, but test results confirmed that it was not him.

Gricar was last heard from April 15 when he placed a phone call to his girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, to tell her that he would not be home in time to take care of their dog. His car was found the next day in Lewisburg.

Gricar was Centre County's district attorney for 20 years; he was also an assistant district attorney in Cleveland before he came to Centre County.