Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Woman Found Dead During Fire Investigation, Autopsy Results Pending

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office reports autopsy results are being withheld until later this week.

The autopsy results of a woman's body found during a house fire investigation in Upper St. Clair are being withheld until later this week, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

The identity of the woman is also being withheld at this time. Investigators would only say the person found dead was a woman in her early 70s.

Upper St. Clair police said the human remains were located in the debris just before noon Sunday.

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The fire broke out in the home at 1840 McMillan Rd. just before 10 p.m. Saturday. 

A college student next door was outside on the porch when the fire sparked and heard a woman calling out for help. He ran into his home to alert his parents. His father, Reed Kneales, called 911 and his mother ran to the deck to see the house in flames.

Find out what's happening in Upper St. Clairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The flames were shooting 50 feet in the air," said Reed Kneales. "I was afraid with all of this timber around here that the fire would spread."

Kneales said he saw that the fire began in the rear, left corner of the home. Within 10 minutes, he said, flames were shooting through the front windows. He said a woman, who he believed to be the homeowner's daughter, was yelling in the street for the fire trucks.

Upper St. Clair police also said the known resident of the home was outside of the house when the officers arrived. Police said she informed the responding officers that another person may still be in the house. Officers forced the front door open, but the smoke and flames were too intense to go inside.

The cause and origin of the fire has not been determined. Witnesses or anyone with information in the case are asked to contact the Upper St. Clair Police Department at 412-833-7500.

The Allegheny County assessment website lists Earl and Jo Ann Monnig as the owners of the home.

The house was a saltbox home featuring cedar exterior and a shake roof. According to neighbors, the house had been for sale for about four years.

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