Body Found Behind Vacant Home In Wilkinsburg

WILKINSBURG (KDKA) -- Authorities are investigating after a gruesome discovery Saturday afternoon in Wilkinsburg.

A badly-decomposed body was found in the wooded and overgrown backyard of a vacant home in the 1100-block of Sherman Street.

Allegheny County Police say it's a suspicious death.

So far in 2012, there have been nine homicides in Wilkinsburg.

If this death is ruled a homicide, it would raise the City of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County homicide tally to 73 for the year.

Investigators late Saturday went door to door in the neighborhood and started checking missing person reports.

Because the body was so badly decomposed, authorities said it was not clear whether the remains were that of a man or woman.

Allegheny County Assistant Police Superintendent James Morton said there have been so many gunshots in the neighborhood recently; it's hard to say for certain when the victim may have been killed.

Keyanna Morgan, a neighbor, said she heard gunfire in the area late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

"I believe it was Tuesday night, like around 11:30ish, and we just heard gunshots," said Morgan. "Then, the cops came and asked us, did we hear somebody screaming, 'help me, help me,' but we said no cause we didn't. I was just scared and surprised."

An autopsy has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office.

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