Officials ID Woman Found Dead In River, 2 In Custody
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A woman whose body was found in the Youghiogheny River Saturday has been identified.
According to the Fayette County Coroner's Office, the body has been identified as 52-year-old Peggy Sue Kriek.
Kriek's body was found around 10 a.m. Saturday morning by a group of kayaking Boy Scouts near Connellsville.
Officials say the Kriek was sexually assaulted, badly beaten and then strangled. She was killed in a grass lot near Water Street in Connellsville, close to the North Fayette County Municipal Authority Sewage Plant.
It's not clear how she ended up there, but sources say she was seen at the Sidewinder's Bar in town around 11:30 p.m. Friday night.
Police are questioning two men, 24-year-old Craig Allen Rugg and 24-year-old Paul Jerome Bannasch in connection with Kriek's death. Rugg is a convicted sex offender and Bannasch is currently on probation for allegedly choking his 18-year-old girlfriend in front of her son two years ago. Once on scene, police say Bannasch was caught trying to push is girlfriend and her son out of the window.
Charges have also been filed against both men for several counts, including criminal homicide, aggravated indecent assault and abuse of a corpse.
Stay with KDKA for more information.
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