4 years and no leads in North Side death

Pittsburgh homicide Detective Joseph Meyers has been bothered by the unsolved death of a North Side woman since her body was found in a burning Jeep more than four years ago.

Though dozens of people have been interviewed, police still don't have any suspects in the death of Jamie Stickle, 31, whose body was found in a parking lot on Feb. 8, 2002.

"I'd really like to get a break on this," Meyers said. "I think about it a lot."

Stickle, a bartender and activist, was last seen alive walking alone into a parking garage on Ninth Street, Downtown, sometime after 2 a.m. that night. Less than two hours later, Pittsburgh firefighters were called to extinguish a burning Jeep in a parking lot next to a scrap yard near Stickle's apartment on Chesbro Street near the 16th Street Bridge.

Stickle's body was in the front seat. Because she was burned beyond recognition, the Allegheny County Coroner's Office was unable to determine a cause of death.

Items from Stickle's purse, including money, part of a cell phone, lipstick and a canister of pepper spray, were found lying in front of the door to her apartment building, along with blood and hair. There was evidence of a struggle outside her tan Jeep Wrangler, Meyers said.

There was evidence that an accelerant was used to start the fire in the Jeep, but detectives haven't determined what it was.

Stickle went to a few bars along Liberty Avenue the night she died. She was a bartender at Sidekicks bar on Liberty and frequented establishments in that area. She was open about her homosexuality, but police don't believe she was targeted because of her sexual orientation.

She also devoted time to raising money for several charities, including breast cancer research and AIDS support.

Additional Information:

Details

Twice a month, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police will publish details of unsolved homicides.

Anyone with information can call the main city police number, 412-323-7800, or detectives J.R. Smith and Scott Evans or Sgt. Timothy Westwood at 412-323-7161. Callers can remain anonymous.

An anonymous tip sheet also is available at any city police station or can be downloaded and dropped off at any station.