Police Find Severed Body In Bags

[odette]

Police Find Severed Body In Bags

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Torsten Ove,
September 04, 2007

City police and the Allegheny County medical examiner's office are investigating the death of a woman found cut in half and placed in separate plastic bags in North Point Breeze.

Police found the body of a black woman at about 10:35 a.m. in a wooded area in the 6700 block of Simonton Street, about 25 yards up from Fifth Avenue and a block from a railway and the East Busway. An autopsy was being done this afternoon.

Police said they have identified the woman but are not releasing her name pending notification of her family.

Police said the woman was cut in half at the waist, with her lower and upper body wrapped in black plastic bags.

Detectives suspect the body was there for a couple of days. A woman walking her dog came across the bags on Monday at about 2 p.m. but thought they contained a dead animal.

While walking there again today, she became suspicious because she'd seen a TV news report about a missing woman. When she poked one of the bags with a stick and tore a hole in it, she saw a hand protruding and called police.

Police said they don't yet know the age of the woman or what was used to cut her in half.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07247/814524-100.stm

[odette]

Probe Continues Into Severed Body Discovery
Officials Have Not Released The Victim's Identity

Sep 5, 2007 12:43 am US/Eastern

(KDKA) POINT BREEZE - Pittsburgh Police have a mystery on their hands after a woman was cut in half, placed in plastic bags and dumped in Point Breeze.

A woman walking her dog made the discovery in the 6700-block of Simonton Street. After poking a hole in the bag, a hand popped out.

continued: Probe Continues Into Severed Body Discovery

[odette]

Passer-by finds severed body in bags in Homewood

TRIBUNE-REVIEW
By Jill King Greenwood
Wednesday, September 5, 2007

A woman walking a dog in Homewood on Tuesday discovered the decomposing remains of a woman who had been cut in half and stuffed in plastic bags, police said.

The unnamed passer-by noticed a plastic bag covered in flies with a piece of wood lying on top Monday, but she assumed it contained a dead animal. When she walked by again yesterday, however, she became suspicious and poked the bag with a stick, said city police Lt. Daniel Herrmann.

A hole tore in the bag, and a hand protruded, Herrmann said.

The woman made the discovery about 10:30 a.m. in the 6700 block of Simonton Street, near Fifth Avenue, police said. Edwin Shapiro, a PennDOT employee who was doing work in the area for a traffic study, said the woman who found the body flagged him down and asked him to call police. ...

continued: Passer-by finds severed body in bags in Homewood


Members of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office
remove the body of a woman found Tuesday on Simonton Street
in Homewood. She had been cut in half. Her identity will be
released today.
Justin Merriman/Tribune-Review

[odette]

Woman's Body Found In Bags On Pittsburgh Street

The Pittsburch Channel.com
September 4, 2007

PITTSBURGH -- Authorities are trying to identify a woman's body that was found in two parts inside large, plastic bags in the Point Breeze section of Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning.

The bags were discovered among some trees in a wooded area on Simonton Street, which is off Fifth Avenue. ....

Woman's Body Found In Bags On Pittsburgh Street

[Mishell1383]

I'm interested in reading more about this case when it gets updated. Thanks Odette for posting it. To be murdered is obviously horrible in itself, but when you find out how the body was disposed of, it just makes it that much worse. What a horrible tragedy.

For the victim

[One2Snoop]

I agree Mishell. The stories we hear about any more seem to get more gruesome by the day. Its just awful.

[odette]

Severed body identified as Greensburg woman

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Torsten Ove
Thursday, September 06, 2007

Marva Denise Howard, police said yesterday, "led a lifestyle that would put her in dangerous situations."

The Greensburg woman used drugs and had been convicted repeatedly for prostitution in Allegheny County.

But Maurita Bryant, assistant Pittsburgh police chief, said she did nothing in her hard life to justify her gruesome end. ....

EXCERPT
Police were at a loss to explain why someone would cut her in half but not dispose of the parts or otherwise try to hide them more thoroughly.

"There is no reason I can think of for doing something like this," said Assistant Chief Bryant in characterizing the culprit as "sick."

CONTINUED
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07249/815072-53.stm


Marva Howard

[odette]

Woman found dismembered was trying to get life on track

TRIBUNE-REVIEW
By Jill King Greenwood and Patti Dobranski
Thursday, September 6, 2007

Marva Howard had a hard life.

The Greensburg mother of two struggled with drug addiction and had a string of arrests for prostitution and petty theft. Regardless of those problems, she didn't deserve the fate she met, her family said Wednesday.

The body of Howard, 47, was discovered Tuesday morning, cut in half and placed inside two garbage bags that were dumped alongside a Homewood street.

Her family last talked with her about a week ago, said her sister, Trina Williams, of West Mifflin. Howard, who grew up in Garfield, was the second oldest of nine siblings and doted on her sons, ages 12 and 18, Williams said.

"She had her troubles. Who doesn't?" Williams said. "But she was trying to get on the right path to change her life. She was a loving, joyful person. We're just devastated by this." ....

EXCERPT
Howard was also compassionate to people and animals. "When I had a hip replacement in 2004, she brought me these ceramic roses as a gift. She said to me, 'Kathi, you can step on a rose, smash it to pieces, but it is still a rose.' That was her philosophy," Zaidan said through tears, as she clutched the red roses with a Monarch butterfly accent.

CONTINUED
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_525976.html


Kathi Zaidan (background), the landlady of Marva Howard, 47,
described her as an ideal tenant who was well-liked, caring and
friendly with everyone in the building. "She had the bubbliest
personality." Howard gave this ceramic rose to Zaidan after 2004
hip replacement surgery.
Eric Schmadel/Tribune-Review

[Mishell1383]

oh dear how sad.

Marva Howard may you rest in peace now.
To her sons and the rest of her family.


I really hope they catch this guy, why is it always when they are on their way to getting on the right track and trying to straighten out their lives are they cut short and not given a chance?

[dallasvic]

Originally Posted by odette

Police Find Severed Body In Bags

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Torsten Ive,
September 04, 2007

City police and the Allegheny County medical examiner's office are investigating the death of a woman found cut in half and placed in separate plastic bags in North Point Breeze.

Police found the body of a black woman at about 10:35 a.m. in a wooded area in the 6700 block of Simonton Street, about 25 yards up from Fifth Avenue and a block from a railway and the East Bu sway. An autopsy was being done this afternoon.

Police said they have identified the woman but are not releasing her name pending notification of her family.

Police said the woman was cut in half at the waist, with her lower and upper body wrapped in black plastic bags.

Detectives suspect the body was there for a couple of days. A woman walking her dog came across the bags on Monday at about 2 p.m. but thought they contained a dead animal.

While walking there again today, she became suspicious because she'd seen a TV news report about a missing woman. When she poked one of the bags with a stick and tore a hole in it, she saw a hand protruding and called police.

Police said they don't yet know the age of the woman or what was used to cut her in half.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07247/814524-100.stm

Hi Odette,

Once again you have brought us another great case. Thank You for all your hard work.
This case is so sad. One thing I was wondering about was the landlady. In one of the stories it states she was staying with a friend because she had been evicted. Is this the same person that evicted her? It might not have anything to do with what happened ,but I am .

One good thing is that trash bags hold alot of DNA evidence and they can also get great fingerprints from using the ( Super Glue method ). Criminals don't even think about this.Once they get a suspect they will be able to narrow the bag coming from the suspect by determining the match to the perforations to where the bag are torn off and see if they have a match and so many other test
Do to the lifestyle she had lived at one time could have came back to haunt her. If she owed a drug dealer money they take this serious or if she had a pi*p they usually don't take kindly to having their girls leave. So many thing that CAN BE A FACTOR IN THIS CASE.

[odette]

Hey Dallasvic

I read back two of the articles but I couldn't find where Ms Howard had been evicted. I will have another look later.

"Kathi Zaidan, Howard's landlord for the past two years, described her as an ideal tenant who was popular, compassionate and friendly with everyone in the 24-unit building."

A very sad case and I surely hope that they find the monster who did this to her.

***

Severed body identified as Greensburg woman

By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, September 06, 2007

Marva Denise Howard, police said yesterday, "led a lifestyle that would put her in dangerous situations." ....

EXCERPT
Police believe Ms. Howard, 39, was killed somewhere else and dumped along Simonton. She had been cut in half at the waist, with her upper and lower body double-wrapped and stuffed in separate bags.

EXCERPT
Police don't know what weapon was used to sever her body. Lt. Daniel Herrmann, head of Major Crimes, said detectives found no other obvious wounds on the body suggesting how she died.

Police declined to provide more specifics that only the perpetrators would know about the scene.

"There are certain details that we want to withhold," said Assistant Chief Bryant.

CONTINUED
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07249/815072-53.stm

[dallasvic]

Originally Posted by odette

Hey Dallasvic

I read back two of the articles but I couldn't find where Ms Howard had been evicted. I will have another look later.

"Kathi Zaidan, Howard's landlord for the past two years, described her as an ideal tenant who was popular, compassionate and friendly with everyone in the 24-unit building."

A very sad case and I surely hope that they find the monster who did this to her.

***

Severed body identified as Greensburg woman

By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, September 06, 2007

Marva Denise Howard, police said yesterday, "led a lifestyle that would put her in dangerous situations." ....

EXCERPT
Police believe Ms. Howard, 39, was killed somewhere else and dumped along Simonton. She had been cut in half at the waist, with her upper and lower body double-wrapped and stuffed in separate bags.

EXCERPT
Police don't know what weapon was used to sever her body. Lt. Daniel Herrmann, head of Major Crimes, said detectives found no other obvious wounds on the body suggesting how she died.

Police declined to provide more specifics that only the perpetrators would know about the scene.

"There are certain details that we want to withhold," said Assistant Chief Bryant.

CONTINUED
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07249/815072-53.stm

Hi Odette,

How are you ? I am really sorry. I did get that wrong .I read back and could not find anything on her being evicted I must have got her case mixed up with one of the others I read.She did stay with a friend sometime. But she had her own place.
She had got her life together.
I sure hope they fine this sick person that do this.

[odette]

Vigil Held For Brutally Slain Woman

- Family Members Remember Good Side Marva Howard -

WTAE-TV
POSTED: 11:57 pm EDT September 10, 2007
UPDATED: 12:02 am EDT September 11, 2007

PITTSBURGH -- Family members of a woman found cut in two and dumped in separate Dumpsters held a vigil Monday evening.

Marva Howard's family said she was known to them as 'Niecey' and her police-described life as a former prostitute wasn't the woman they knew.

They said they returned to the spot her body was found to remember her with a memorial. .....

CONTINUED
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...58/detail.html

[dallasvic]

Hi Odette,

This is so sad, people start getting their lives together and then something horrible happens to them.I sure hope they get the one who has done this.

[odette]

Trail already cold in case of woman found severed in North Point

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Monday, September 17, 2007

Every Monday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and local police publish details of unsolved homicides. Anyone with information about the case featured today can call the main Pittsburgh Bureau of Police number, 412-323-7800, or Detectives J.R. Smith and Scott Evans or Sgt. Timothy Westwood at 412-323-7161. Callers can remain anonymous. An anonymous tip sheet also is available at any city police station, or can be downloaded at http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/pol..._tip_form.html and dropped off at any station.

This month, the severed body of a Greensburg mother of two was discovered stuffed inside trash bags in North Point Breeze, and investigators are no closer to discovering who killed her.

Marva Howard, 47, was last seen alive in a Homewood bar on Aug. 31, said city police cold case squad homicide Detective J.R. Smith. Her body was cut in half, and the bags containing it were dumped along Simonton Street, near Fifth Avenue. Detectives said they've gathered so little information about her case that the trail to her killer is already cold.

On Sept. 4, a woman walking her dog discovered Howard's remains. Investigators believe Howard was killed elsewhere, but they don't know how long her body had been there. .....

CONTINUED: Trail already cold in case of woman found severed in North Point Breeze

[dallasvic]

Hi Odette,

This probably going to be on that never gets solved,but then it might. I believe it had to have been more than one person since she was a large lady. the bags had to have been heavy. When it involves more than one perp someone usually brags and maybe someone will remembers seeing the bags being put in the back of a pick up or something.
For her families sake i am sure they what to know why and who.

R.I.P

My Heart&Prayers Are With Her Family

[puppies]

God,poor woman she wanted a new start in life.SAD!!!everybody deserves a second chance.

[dallasvic]

I sure hope they find some thing out soon