Photo: Allegheny County Police
“There’s no evidence that indicates anybody else was responsible for that child’s being taken from Penn Hills and ultimately being placed in that field or in the woods in Indiana County,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala toldWTAEThursday.
Zappala said they are waiting for the coroner to rule on the cause of death before they file any additional charges against Sharena Nancy, 25, who is in Allegheny County Jail facing charges of kidnapping of a minor, interference with custody of children and concealment of the whereabouts of a child.
The final autopsy results could take five to six weeks.
“We’re waiting for the coroner’s office to come back with their conclusions on cause of death,” he said. “The gentleman said five to six weeks. We’re going to send some people out to talk to the pathologists and see if we can shorten that time frame.”
Sharena Islam Nancy.
In a joint press release Wednesday, the Allegheny County District Attorney and the Indiana County District Attorney said “the expectation is that the manner of death will be homicide.”
Zappala said there were no visible signs of trauma.
Tests from a private lab are being conducted to see if the toddler was suffocated.
“And if he gives an opinion consistent with our conversation yesterday, then we’ll charge criminal homicide along with the kidnapping,” said Zappala.
The 2-year-old’s body wasdiscoveredon Tuesday in Pine Ridge Park in Blairsville. Her father, Paul Johnson, who had been romantically linked to Nancy, had reported her missing three days earlier.
He claimed that he attempted to reach Nancy on the phone but she never picked up.
Nalani Johnson.Penn Hills Police
During an interview with police, Nancy alleged Johnson asked her to take his daughter to an “unnamed individual” who bought her for $10,000, WTAE reports. She allegedly claimed she dropped off the child with a person driving a silver SUV and out-of-state plates.
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source: people.com
