Body identified as missing woman

Dental records confirmed that a body found in an abandoned drug house in Beltzhoover was that of a missing prostitute from Braddock.

Kristine Marie Switzer, 24, died from five bullet wounds in the back, the Allegheny County Coroner's Office said Tuesday. A city building inspector early Monday found Switzer's decomposing remains on a mattress in a second-floor bedroom of a house on Nina Way.

Pittsburgh police have not made any arrests. Homicide detectives were trying to determine whether drugs or prostitution played a role in the killing.

Patricia Clemons, of Braddock, said her granddaughter had battled drug addiction for several years. When Switzer stopped calling in early April, the family didn't worry because she had planned to travel to Maryland.

"When she didn't show up for Easter, we knew something was wrong," Clemons said. The family had filed a missing person report, the third such report this year, she said.

"She was a good person, well-liked. She had a bubbly personality," Clemons said. "We thought she was cleaning up her act. I just don't know what happened."

Court records show Switzer was awaiting trial on charges connected to two recent prostitution arrests and was on probation for drug and prostitution charges.