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Remains found in Mercer County investigated as a homicide
By Sean Barron
WEST MIDDLESEX, PA.
Police are continuing to question several people to glean more information about human remains that were found Tuesday afternoon in a shallow grave off Mercer-West Middlesex Road in Shenango Township in Mercer County.
During a news conference Thursday morning at the Shenango Township Municipal Building on state Route 318, Lt. Eric Hermick, crime-section commander with the Pennsylvania State Police, said the cause of death has not been determined but that investigators are treating it as a homicide.
An autopsy performed by Dr. Eric L. Vey, a forensic pathologist, in the Erie County Coroner’s office, determined the remains are those of a white male whose identity has not yet been determined due to what is characterized as significant decomposition, according to a report by 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.
The PSP has taken the lead in the investigation and is working with Sharon and Shenango Township authorities.
Shenango Township Police Chief Jason Newton said his department was notified at about 12:23 p.m. Tuesday about possible human remains at 2410 Mercer-West Middlesex Road, after which he contacted Sharon authorities to assist in the investigation.
Sharon Police Chief Gerry Smith also attended Thursday’s news conference largely because that city has a missing-person case from this spring that remains open.
Hermick estimated the remains had been buried for several months in the shallow grave 42 to 48 inches deep on the 35-acre parcel.
“It’s a very sensitive case right now,” he said.
Hermick said search warrants have been obtained for the property, on which the search for possible additional remains continues. The parcel contains a rental house, a barn and several other structures, he continued, adding that the property owner is cooperating with police.
The lieutenant said authorities have a person of interest but did not elaborate. No arrests have been made.
Hermick said various items thought to have been stolen in burglaries in and around Mercer and Lawrence counties were seized from the property. Nevertheless, he did not establish a direct link between the stolen goods and the human remains.
In early May, Smith reported that Joseph Difrischia, 58, went missing from Sharon after he had failed to show up at a friend’s home several days before. Authorities’ suspicions were aroused at that time because Difrischia’s vehicle was found in Youngstown with the keys in the ignition.
Nevertheless, during the news conference Thursday, neither he nor Hermick could establish whether the remains were those of the missing man.
“We have no confirmation at this point that the person out there is our missing person,” Smith said.
Anyone with information regarding the human remains is asked to call the Shenango Township Police Department at 724-662-6110.