Woman's body is found

By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Had Detective Sgt. Joe Datko not broken his routine of checking for stolen cars on Cloister Avenue, he would have seen the body dumped by the side of the road.
"I always come this way every morning," Datko said. "Except for today."
A passer-by called police at 7:11 a.m. to report seeing the body of a woman in a field on Cloister, near Augustine Avenue. Cloister, a neglected narrow road with cracked blacktop, lies in a sparsely populated section of the East Side.
A pole at the intersection holds rusted metal street signs and, tacked to the middle of the pole, is another sign that warns, "No dumping allowed, $750 fine."
The dumping sign reminded those at the crime scene that today's scenario had played out nearby five days ago.
On Saturday afternoon, police found the body of a woman face down in a pool of blood on Carson Street, near Cantwell Avenue. Detectives consider the death of Ernestine Phillips-Fears, 50, of North Maryland Avenue, a homicide. The Mahoning County coroner hasn't ruled.
Description: The woman found today, likely in her 30s, and dressed in blue jeans, black jacket and white tennis shoes, had been shot at least once in the chest, Datko said.
The shooter likely pushed her out of a car and then tossed her purse into the street. The purse had frost on it, indicating the body had been in the field at least two hours before discovery.
The unidentified woman had four forms of identification in her purse -- each with a different name -- and two Social Security cards in a pocket of her jacket, Datko said. He also found drug paraphernalia used for crack in her purse.
At the scene: Ron Rodway and Daryl Martin, homicide detectives, arrived within minutes of the patrolmen who secured the crime scene. "She looks a little familiar," Rodway said.
Billy Arnaut, a coroner's investigator, ran his gloved hands over the woman's jacket, searching for bullet holes.
"I got one," he said to Lou Ciavarella of the Youngstown Police Department crime lab. Ciavarella took photographs and measured the body's exact location from the street.
The city has recorded 10 homicides so far this year, compared with 11 at this time last year.
Today's victim is the third woman killed. All three happened on the East Side.
On Jan. 22, police found Margaret Simons, 22, of Campbell and her male friend, Antoine Barnett, 27, shot to death in a car parked in the driveway of 1350 Berwick Ave.