Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The bodies of a man and his niece suffered trauma before being found.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN — Authorities won’t release the identities of a man and woman discovered dead in their home until later this week.
Police Capt. Tim Roberts said the deaths are being investigated as homicides, partially because of trauma to the bodies. He would not describe the injuries.
Roberts said Tuesday that autopsies will be performed today and Thursday by the Trumbull County Coroner’s Office and then their identities will be released.
Some of the relatives may not have been notified and investigators want a positive identification before releasing their names, he explained.
Roberts said the bodies of a man and his niece, both of whom lived in the one-story house at 2631 Front St. near Deemer Park, were found inside.
The house is older, and the lawn freshly mowed. The houses are not close together in the neighborhood.
What happened
Police were called to the scene about 8:30 p.m. Monday. The woman was found in the living room and the uncle in the computer room toward the front of the house.
Roberts said the deaths were “recent.” Both were dressed in street clothes. Roberts would not say if a weapon was found.
“We’re taking it one step at a time,” Roberts said of the investigation.
The bodies were discovered by a friend of the two who stopped at the house to visit. The friend looked through a window and saw the bodies, Roberts said.
Police said there was no sign of a break-in, but would not say whether the house had been ransacked. Roberts didn’t know if anything was taken.
Investigators were at the house Tuesday morning and removed a computer hard drive before removing a yellow crime scene tape from around the property about 10:15 a.m.
If ruled homicides, they would be the seventh and eighth in the city this year, compared with one at this time in 2006.
yovich@vindy.com