Burned body found in wooded area of Penn Hills ID'd

PENN HILLS, Pa. — The body of a man was found Thursday morning in a wooded area of Penn Hills.

Police were called shortly after 7 a.m. to a secluded area along Lawndale Street. %

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Police said the body was partially burned and the man appeared to have been shot several times.

“(It) looks like someone attempted to burn the body. There were also signs there might be gunshot wounds,” Allegheny County Police Lt. Andrew Schurman said.

Police said the crime scene is not accessible by vehicle and appears to be used for illegal dumping. A person looking for scrap found the body, authorities said.

This is the second time in recent weeks that a burned body was discovered in Penn Hills. No gunshot wounds were found on the victim in the first case, but the person was found in the trunk of a car that had been set on fire. The medical examiner is still waiting for dental records to officially identify the victim.

"The likelihood that two people would be set on fire in the same township is not high,” Schurman said. %

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The medical examiner identified Thursday's victim as Isaiah Thomas, 31. His mother said her son was a loving father to a 10-year-old boy.

Allegheny County police detectives told Channel 11 News that it’s too early to know whether the cases are connected. However, on Friday sources told Channel 11 News that the two victims knew each other.

Anyone who was in the area of Lawndale and Ferndale Streets recently and saw anything suspicious is asked to call Allegheny County police at 412-473-1300.

Cox Media Group