3 Found Dead In New Castle Home, Coroner Rules Deaths As Homicides
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NEW CASTLE (KDKA) – Three people were found dead inside a home in Lawrence County on Tuesday. Now, the Lawrence County coroner has ruled all three deaths as homicides.
Nichole Pumphrey, 31, her 10-year-old daughter, Amariah Emery, and Lawrence Cannon, 30, died from gunshot wounds.
"Our officers, our detectives have been working nonstop on this case since it happened, done a lot of interviews," said New Castle Police Chief Robert Salem.
New Castle officers and state police were in and out of the two-story house on West North Street after the three were found dead inside just before 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The victims were found on the first floor of the house. The mother and daughter both lived there.
Cannon, who police say was possibly a boyfriend, did not live in the house. His father told reporters that his son lived with him and had only moved to New Castle two weeks ago from Oklahoma City.
Pumphrey had been shot twice, the two others shot once. Police believe it happened sometime Monday night.
KDKA's Amy Wadas Reports:
The New Castle School District put out a statement Wednesday, saying:
"Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to the family. We have a procedure in place in order to help them with this tragic event. The district is providing counseling."
Emery's loss will be deeply grieved by her family, her schoolmates and the community. The New Castle School District held counseling session for all of its students on Wednesday.
KDKA's Brenda Waters: "Is an arrest pending? Is it close?"
Chief Salem: "We are not going to comment on that. We're still in the middle of the investigation. We've still got a lot of work to do."
However, Chief Salem did say it was not a random act of violence, but instead, an isolated case.
Family members set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral expenses. Relatives who knew Amariah write that she was a beautiful young girl. She was extremely bright, outgoing and very social.
