Police say murdered dentist was a target
Just four days before he was slain, Blairsville dentist Dr. John J. Yelenic Jr. seemed to have a new outlook on life after several years of problems, according to a longtime friend.
"I saw John the happiest and most upbeat I have seen him in some time, as he could finally see light at the end of the tunnel," said Dennis Vaughn, of Winchester, Va., who attended Juniata College with Yelenic, 39, in the late 1980s.
Vaughn said Yelenic informed him during a visit the weekend of April 8-9 that he was to sign legal documents late last week to finalize a bitter, four-year-old divorce battle with his wife, Michele.
Yelenic never signed the documents formally ending his eight-year marriage.
His body was discovered at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the foyer of his three-story home at 223 S. Spring St., Blairsville. Indiana County Coroner Michael Baker said Yelenic was killed hours earlier in a struggle near the front door of his home. He bled to death.
Blairsville police are not releasing details of Yelenic's murder because of the ongoing investigation, but police Chief Don Hess reported yesterday that police believe the lifelong Blairsville resident was targeted by his assailant.
No arrests have been made, police said at a news conference yesterday.
"It was not random. With the release of information that the case involved a homicide, the public has been gripped with fear," Hess said.
"Let me assure the public that nothing uncovered as part of the investigation reveals that anybody should be afraid. We do not believe there is an individual or individuals preying upon the public," Hess said.
Police also announced they have not identified a suspect. They declined to speculate on a motive, reveal the murder weapon or discuss whether it was recovered.
Hess also declined to say whether Yelenic was robbed in last week's fatal attack.
"I'm sure they're working diligently, but it's still disappointing to a lot of us who knew John," said Vaughn, who is driving back to Blairsville today to attend a funeral visitation for his friend at Shoemaker Funeral Home Inc., at 49 N. Walnut St., and the 11 a.m. funeral on Wednesday.
"It was tough the last few years watching my best friend be systematically destroyed bit by bit by this (divorce) process," Vaughn said.
County court records indicate that in October 2003 Yelenic was led out of his dental office in handcuffs after his estranged wife accused him of violating a protection from abuse order she had filed in her native Cambria County. The couple married Dec. 31, 1997, in Las Vegas, according to records there.
According to the criminal complaint filed with Blairsville District Justice Jennifer Rega, Yelenic was accused of telephoning his estranged wife at their South Spring Street home and leaving a message on an answering machine to say that her son was no longer covered on Yelenic's medical insurance policy. The message said she would have to pay out of her pocket for pending ear surgery for the boy, whose name was not specified in the complaint.
Yelenic, a partner in the Reilly & Yelenic Dental office, was later found not guilty by Rega of violating the PFA.
Michele Yelenic, who now lives in White Township, just outside Indiana, with the couple's 7-year-old son, Jay-Jay, declined yesterday to comment on this story, or her husband's death.
Vaughn said he John Yelenic had kept in touch after college.
"Despite my living in Virginia, we saw a great deal of each other and supported each other through our respective separations and divorces. None of our circle of friends can understand this," Vaughn said.
Several of Yelenic's family members and friends attended yesterday's news conference to learn if progress was being made in the investigation.
Although Yelenic's cousin, Maryann Clark, of Blairsville, admitted she was disappointed there was no news on an arrest or a suspect, she believes police will make some progress soon to solve the case.
"Right now, they're as frustrated as we are. But anyone can see they are working hard," Clark said.
"John was a wonderful man. He loved his practice and was wonderful with his patients, who loved him," she said.
Another friend of the slain man, former Blairsville resident Richard Drabik, of Dayton, Ohio, was visiting the area on Easter weekend.
"I can tell you that he would just light up a room. He was bubbly ... just a wonderful guy," Drabik said.
Hess did reveal yesterday that Yelenic's car had been vandalized by spray paint in late March. While neighbors and friends said Yelenic's car was the only one targeted on the street, Hess said police have not been able to link that incident to Thursday's killing.
He said anyone with information should telephone Blairsville police at 724-459-7555 or dial 911. Also working on the case are the coroner, Indiana County detectives and state police.
