No motive discovered in slaying probe
FRANKLIN, Venango County — The investigation is ongoing into the grisly death of a 25-year-old woman who was badly beaten and her body set on fire.
The alleged killers — Amanda L. Cypher, 32, of Franklin, formerly of Butler Township and Richard A. Kennedy, 28, of Vandergift, Westmoreland County — talked at length to investigators following their arrests Friday.
A motive, however, is apparently unclear, said Franklin Police Chief Kevin Anundson.
“We don't have one,” he admitted Monday. “There are too many options right now.”
He said detectives are also still trying to determine the extent of the relationship between the defendants and the victim, Tausha Lee Baker of Franklin.
And there remain still more unanswered questions.
Anundson said his officers, assisted by state police, remain busy conducting interviews while awaiting forensic tests on evidence and Baker's autopsy report.
“We have a lot of items that have been seized from different locations,” he said.
Cypher and Kennedy are being held in the Venango County Prison without bail. Both are charged with homicide, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.
While the investigation remains active and “fluid,” police said, they suspect the defendants — girlfriend/boyfriend — beat the victim at a home and then dumped her body nearby before setting it on fire.
Police began investigating the case about 4 p.m. Friday when Mark Daniels called to report awakening to find blood in his home on New Street.
Officers got there and noticed “blood marks” on the living room wall and kitchen, according to court documents. They found more blood in the laundry room and near the hot water tank.
Daniels later told investigators during an interview that before going to bed that day he had gotten a call from Baker. She told him she was coming to his house to meet with Cypher and Kennedy.
The nature of the meeting was not indicated in documents. Anundson said he did not know.
Later, Daniels reported he heard “a screaming noise” at his house about 6:30 a.m. Friday, police said. He apparently did not immediately go downstairs to inspect. When he did, he saw what appeared to be blood in the living room, kitchen and laundry area.
A little more than an hour later, Polk Borough firefighters came upon a body while fighting a brush fire.
The body was unrecognizable, authorities. But Venango County Coroner Christina Rugh by Saturday morning had identified Baker by her body tattoos.
The victim's family had reported her missing less than a day earlier.
Under the prevailing theory, Anundson said, police believe the defendants dumped the body at the “fairly secluded” site off Waterworks Road, south of the city.
Police later that evening spoke to Daniels' roommate, William Umstead, who recounted returning home Thursday evening to find the defendants at his house.They were still there when he went to bed. When he woke up he heard the voices of a man and woman.He went downstairs to check, documents said, but was met by Kennedy, who told him to return to his room “because this is not pretty.”Umstead complied and went back upstairs. He remained there until he saw Cypher drive away in a maroon sport utility vehicle.He went downstairs and saw what looked like blood in numerous areas, police said.On the floor of one of the rooms, documents said, was a blood-soaked hooded sweatshirt that looked like the one that he saw Kennedy wearing the previous evening.Anundson said Daniels and Umstead have been extremely cooperative with police.During the investigation, police spoke to Penny McCoy, who recounted that the defendants had appeared at her home in the city on Friday afternoon.She let them in and they washed their hands and took off numerous articles of clothing. McCoy said she gave them other clothes for them to wear, and they later left.Anundson said police later that day arrested Cypher walking in town, Hours later, they arrested Kennedy, who was also found walking.Investigators interviewed them that night. Anundson said they both spoke for some time but he would not disclose what they said.On Monday morning, police recovered the maroon SUV that Cypher was seen driving away from the house on New Street. Forensic investigators spent much of the day combing through the vehicle for evidence.Anundson said police still have a lot of leg work to do.“We're buried,” he said, “with information (and evidence) that we're trying to go through,” he said.
