Decomposed body found in Wilkinsburg remains unidentified
Eight years ago, the badly decomposed body of woman was found in a Wilkinsburg home, and investigators are still trying to identify her.
The woman, who had been strangled, was 18 to 20 years old, about 5 feet 5 inches and slender, Allegheny County police homicide Sgt. Andrew Schurman said. Her body was discovered June 28, 1999, on cellar steps underneath plywood and debris in a vacant home in the 600 block of North Avenue.
She was wearing black jeans, a brown, white and beige top and a black shoe on her right foot, Schurman said. Investigators were not able to locate the other shoe. There was a gold chain around her neck and a gold earring in one ear.
The body was largely skeletonized and the soft tissue had mummified, hindering the investigation, Schurman said. Investigators believe the body might have been in the home for six months to a year before it was discovered. Duct tape was wrapped around her neck.
When the body was found, Wilkinsburg and county police tracked down leads on 25 to 30 missing persons in the area. They excluded three possible identities through dental records, Schurman said.
Detectives obtained fingerprints from the body and submitted them to the FBI's Identification Division, but no match was found.
In November 1999, county homicide detectives requested that a three-dimensional reconstruction be conducted on the victim's skull and jaw. The reconstruction was widely circulated to the news media but no one came forward to identify the woman.
"We really have nothing to go on in the investigation until we find out who this woman is," Schurman said.
Additional Information:
Cold Case Files
Every Monday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and local police publish details of unsolved homicides. Anyone with information on today's case can call Allegheny County Police communications dispatch at 412-473-3000 or county homicide Lt. Christopher Kearns at 412-473-1253. Callers can remain anonymous. People with information also can visit the county police headquarters at 400 North Lexington Ave. in North Point Breeze.
