ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Bethlehem man charged with stabbing his girlfriend during a domestic dispute in Emmaus was found dead last week in Jordan Creek, authorities said.
Daniel Leibensperger, 35, had been wanted on charges of aggravated assault after police say he stabbed his girlfriend, Nicole Goeppert, in the back with a pocket knife on Dec. 18. The incident occurred at an apartment on Minor Street in Emmaus, where police found Goeppert with the knife still lodged in her back when they arrived.
Following the attack, Leibensperger fled the area, prompting police to issue a criminal complaint and launch a search for his whereabouts. Nearly eight days later, on Dec. 26, Leibensperger’s body was discovered partially submerged in Jordan Creek near the 1200 block of North 6th Street in Allentown.
A passerby reportedly found the body and contacted police. Investigators from the Allentown Police Department have not uncovered any evidence suggesting third-party involvement in Leibensperger’s death. The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office has yet to determine the cause and manner of death.
Goeppert told police she had been preparing dinner when an argument with Leibensperger escalated, culminating in the stabbing. Authorities say the blow caused her to fall to the ground, at which point she realized she had been injured. She was transported to a hospital, and her condition has not been publicly disclosed.