Body of missing woman Keisha Hottinger found in North Union Township; 2 face charges
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) — Officials in Fayette County say the search for a missing woman is over.
Police say the body of Keisha Hottinger was found and two men face charges. Five days shy of her 27th birthday, her family is now planning her funeral.
"The last time I talked to her in person was the 19th of September," said Karen West, Hottinger's mother.
West said she knew something was wrong when her calls to her 26-year-old daughter went straight to voicemail.
"My daughter never goes that long without talking to me," she said. "Basically every day, she calls me to let me know she's OK."
On Sept. 25, West filed a missing person report with state police in Uniontown. That's when the family got busy posting fliers all over town, talking to friends and searching everywhere.
They prayed that Hottinger, a mother of three, would be found safe. Those hopes were shattered when her body was discovered.
Police say Austin Saletrick and Joseph Lockett knew where Hottinger was when her family was desperately looking for her. Both have been charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and other related offenses.
According to the criminal complaint, Saletrick told police that Hottinger fatally overdosed, and her body was hidden in a wooded area on the side of the road.
Saletrick led police to an access road adjacent to Old Braddock Road in North Union Township, where they found her concealed body.
Her family wants to know why Saletrick and Lockett didn't call 911 or them when she died.
"I'm a human being, she's a human being, they're human beings," said Hottinger's brother, Joseph West. "How could you do that and feel OK with yourself for a few days knowing she's there?"
Police also learned Lockett was with Saletrick after Hottinger died and when her body was dumped. Lockett says the two tried to find Narcan for Hottinger but she was already dead. That's when they decided to get rid of the body.
Investigators said that all occurred on Sept. 25, the day she was reported missing.
These details are devastating to the family. She was the light of her mother's life and her brother's sidekick. They both say she had so many wonderful qualities, but it's her sense of humor they'll miss most.
"She was a little bit of a comedian," her mother said. "She was a good actress as well. She loved to dance. Me and her would dance, we sang karaoke together."
"She was my biggest fan and that's what I'm gonna miss most," her brother added.
The family says Hottinger was trying to get her life on track. In fact, they had a big surprise planned for her on her birthday to celebrate her progress.
