Police: Elderly Man Found Dead Inside Kennedy Twp. Home May Have Been Robbery Victim
KENNEDY TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Police are investigating after an elderly man was found dead, with his hands and feet bound, inside his home Tuesday afternoon in Kennedy Township.
According to Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt, officers were first called to the scene on Fairhaven Road around 3:50 p.m. by a neighbor who checks on the victim because he didn't get around very well.
"A neighbor that checks on him made the call when she came and didn't see him," said Supt. Moffatt.
Police are identifying the victim as 81-year-old Thomas Nicholson.
Allegheny County Police say officers found Nicholson unresponsive in his bed with his hands and feed bound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives know he was alive on Monday; someone saw him in the early morning hours. Now they are trying to piece together what happened between that time and about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
"The house is in a little disarray, so it's kind of hard to tell if it's suspicious or not. We don't know if some of it's because of his living habits or some of it may have been an intruder."
The Allegheny County Crime Lab has a large amount of possible evidence to sort through. Authorities were at the home late into Tuesday night.
Police say while the investigation is in the early stages, "it appears that the victim had been the target of a robbery."
Sources on the scene say they've ruled out gunfire.
The Kennedy Township Police chief said he was friends with the victim.
Police from Allegheny County and Kennedy Township, and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office were all called to the scene.
Allegheny County Police are taking over the investigation.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.
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