Local

Police treating deaths of women found in East Hills home as a double homicide

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police are treating the deaths of two women found inside an East Hills home Thursday afternoon as a double homicide.

A Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Missing Persons Unit detective contacted Zone 5 at approximately 12:50 p.m. to do a wellness check on a missing woman who did not report back to a social service agency by her assigned time on May 5.

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When officers arrived at the residence in the 500 block of Karl Street, their knocks went unanswered. Police said the officers smelled a strong odor coming from inside the structure, forced entry into the home and discovered the bodies of two women.

The medical examiner identified the victims as Valorie Crumpton, 72, of the East Hills, and Tionna Banks, 19, of the Hill District. Neighbors tell Channel 11 News Banks was Crumpton's granddaughter.

An autopsy performed on each woman Friday revealed that they both died from blunt force trauma.

Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE reported that police confirmed a baby is also part of the investigation, and that the child was unharmed. Authorities would not say more than that.

Family members were among the first to arrive at the scene after officers found the women’s bodies. Neighbors who spoke with Channel 11 News said they shared the relatives’ grief.

“I don’t know why anyone would do that,” said one woman.

Anyone with information related to this homicide investigation is asked to contact police by calling 911 or the Homicide Squad at 412-323-7161.