GUILTY PA - Susan, 44, & Sarah Wolfe, 38, murdered in their Pittsburgh home, 6 Feb 2014

Interesting read about Sarah and Susan Wolfe by the Associate Editor of The Clinton Herald Newspaper Iowa. Type in "Wolfe Family Remembers Susan and Sarah" at link below:- couldn't get direct link to the article to work, it's a very good read.

www.clintonherald.com

More evidence reported:
http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/sources-more-clues-uncovered-mysterious-deaths-eas/ndPF2/

Hejlena said:

Sarah told her employers she had an appt at 5:30? Wonder where?

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Not Dr Sarah. Susan, the TA at Hillel Academy, a private orthodox Jewish school, told her employers she could not stay because of an appointment.

Susan rode the 71A and 64 buses from her home in East Liberty to her job - a ride of about 30 minutes.

We know now she was seated with a "mystery man" on the bus, whom she was chatting with. They disembarked at the Black Street bus stop, about 1.5 blocks away from the house. If she left work at 5, she would have gotten home at 5:30.

Hejlena said:

House "ransacked" in December when the two women were out to dinner. A co-worker says the women installed many security measures after that incident.

2. A family member of one of Sarah's clients was stalking her. It was said that Sarah worked with child victims of abuse. Abuser? Psychiatrist's reports are often included in court/mediation records. Someone may have gone over the edge?

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If the house was ransacked while they were out, someone had been casing the house, knowing they would be gone at that time. Police say that 2 tvs were stolen, but that they do not think the burglary and the homicides were related. For one thing, the burglars must have had a vehicle to make off with two large televisions. The murderer got there on foot/by bus - and got away by stealing their car to drive to a destination near by.

Susan seems to have been the target, and the object of the crime. Sarah was killed only after she came home (about 7:30) to discovered what had happened. She was shot before she could take her coat off.

<snipped>
>> Neighbors also reported it being a low-crime neighborhood, so it appears the perp had a specific target or purpose.<< It is in a marginal block between a residential neighborhood, and high density, low cost rentals and public housing projects. Negley Ave has become a place to avoid because of crime.

>>Who lived in the house previously and why did they move? I'm thinking that the previous owner may hold the key to finding the killer, if LE doesn't already have a suspect.<< No connection. His name is Tom Stowe. He lived in the house 18 yrs, thought it was safe, said he was shocked and dismayed to hear of the crime.

>>Since the car was found not far from the neighborhood, and the perp apparently didn't drive his own vehicle to the Wolfe's house, he likely lives nearby.<< I have puzzled over this. We know now he rode on the bus with Susan, and got off at the same stop. As he brought a gun with him, and beat Susan badly before shooting her, he seems to have arrived with a plan to attack and kill her.

I wonder how he thought he was going to get away from the crime scene. On foot or by bus? Did he know to expect Sarah in a couple of hours after killing Susan, and that she would have a vehicle?

He drove the car less than a mile away, about a 4 minute drive, parked by 3 well known landmarks - the East Liberty library, the iconic Fountain, and, perhaps significantly, the East Liberty Presbyterian church - which has a homeless shelter. Police in recent days have released Susan had connection with "homeless men." If he lived in the area, it seems likely he would park the car in some secluded street - not by the most prominent landmarks. From here, he could have gone to the shelter, had someone meet him to drive him away, or board another bus, if he lived somewhere along the 71A's route.

How would a relative newcomer who works at a private school in a no-nonsense Jewish neighborhood have "connections to homeless men"? I'm guessing she met one of the area's eccentric characters on the bus (the 71A is famous for them) and struck up a relationship with him, maybe revealed too much about herself to an experienced predator, who identified her as vulnerable.

wfgodot said:

The vehicle was recovered in Friendship, the same Pittsburgh township where Sarah Wolfe's boyfriend is listed as living.

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The car was found parked in front of the East Liberty Branch of the Carnegie Library, by the iconic Fountain, and the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, which is the tallest building in the area. They are landmarks in the blighted business district of East Liberty.

RedCardinal said:

AlwaysShocked I'm reading that Squirrel Hill is a more affluent community would you agree with that?

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East Liberty is high density rentals, public housing projects. The Wolfe Sister's home was on the last residential block before East Liberty gets really "iffy." Lovely old homes all around, some of which have been well-preserved, like theirs, and some which have been gutted for low-cost rentals. Most of it is a slum.

Squirrel Hill is far more stable and affluent. Thriving Jewish community. No-nonsense, bustling business district with great small shops and independent, creative eating establishments.

popsicle said:

Has it been reported whether or not Susan saw patients in a home office?

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Highly unlikely. Residential area with no offices. She worked at a major hospital, Western Psychiatric Institute, in the Oakland neighborhood, by the University of Pittsburgh.

It appears Susan was the target, not Sarah. Susan was attacked, beaten, killed, and stripped naked, and doused with bleach. Sarah was killed after she came home 2 hours or so after Susan did, and was shot before she had a chance to take her coat off.

passionflower said:

WPXI TV news said just now they have suspect and it is all on home camera video!!!
No info yet, no names!

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I have been following this case closely. I heard WPXI showed a few seconds of the surveillance cam on the bus, but haven't been able to locate it on the web.

Are you saying there was a camera in their home? Wow! That would be awesome.

There are also cameras at the East Liberty library. They have a look at this guy.

I read witnesses say Susan was seated with this "mystery man" on the bus (71A), and that they were talking with each other. They got off at the same time. It seems like meeting him was the 5:30 appointment she told her employers about.

Hialeah said:

I have been following this case closely. I heard WPXI showed a few seconds of the surveillance cam on the bus, but haven't been able to locate it on the web.

Are you saying there was a camera in their home? Wow! That would be awesome.

There are also cameras at the East Liberty library. They have a look at this guy.

I read witnesses say Susan was seated with this "mystery man" on the bus (71A), and that they were talking with each other. They got off at the same time. It seems like meeting him was the 5:30 appointment she told her employers about.

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Thank you for all your clarifying posts!

I'm not really sold on the "homeless man" idea--mostly because of the shootings and the clean-up--I hope they find this "mystery man" soon.

zwiebel said:

With one victim found naked and possibly doused in bleach, it doesn't sound anything like a burglary gone wrong to me.

Very, very dangerous person in my opinion. Probably a big risk to other women he knows too (I do think victims knew him). I hope they catch him soon.

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I fear this is a "psycho" killer. He may have killed before, may kill again.

It was a violent, sadistic attack. The naked victim was doused in bleach presumably to destroy "genetic evidence."

He seems to have spent several hours in the house. Police said he removed Susan's clothes to remove evidence. Post-mortem? That would have been messy. Was part of the time in the house spent washing the clothes, hers and his in the basement laundry? He had reason to expect he would not be disturbed for a while. Did he know Sarah was expected, and that she would have a vehicle that he could steal to flee the crime scene? Neighbors reported lights on all 3 floors were on all night. He would have been all through the house, perhaps showering after the assault.

Reports are Susan and the Mystery Man sat on the bus together, talked together, and left the bus together. This would indicate they knew each other - perhaps from riding the bus together every day, or from time to time. He may have gotten newcomer Susan to reveal information about herself, like she was not married, lived with a sister, which identified her as vulnerable. She may have had a reason to allow him into the house.

Police say he stole their cell phones.

A pair of grey sweatpants with a business card in one of the pockets was found by the abandoned car, police revealed today. Not sure what to make of that, but would guess police think they are his pants.

Hialeah, great job! other people on the bus should be able to help LE with a description of this fellow on the bus, was he a bit of a scruffy fellow or nicely dressed. Did anyone see Susan walk along the street with him? It would be awful if she took a homeless person to the house, my gosh! Where is "common sense" & where would he get a gun? If they reside at a homeless shelter my goodness a gun would be a no no. I'd like to know if dinner was served at the home, were the plates and food still on the table. Lastly why would a homeless fellow take both cell phones?

colette said:

It doesn't appear anything was taken. This article says the killer spent 2 hours in the home.

But what we do know is that sources say 44-year-old Susan Wolfe, a teacher’s aide, was beaten and thrown naked down the stairs of her East Liberty home. Early reports say she was not raped.

Sarah came home 2 hours after Susan had been in the home. Most likely during the beating of her sister.

LE is looking into a homeless man Susan had befriended.


http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014...ing-sister-off-of-bus-prior-to-double-murder/

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Odd that she would be naked, or doused with bleach if there was no sexual assault. Rape may specifically refer to penetration. In the Gainesville Coed murders, Danny Rolling masturbated and ejaculated on the victims, never penetrated - and tried to remove evidence by using dish detergent.

Why 2 hours in the house? If he came on foot/bus, he would have to leave i the same manner. He may have washed and dried bloody clothes in the laundry in the basement, to clean his clothes and remove evidence from Susan's clothes, and may have showered. He may have been waiting for Sarah, to steal her car and flee from the scene that way, or the opportunity simply presented itself.

The "homeless man" detail the police have raised is interesting. Where would a gal, new in town, with a job at private Orthodox Jewish school in a no-nonsense neighborhood (Squirrel Hill), meet the "homeless"? There are homeless people in East Liberty, in the "business district," which is so blighted I can't see why she would go there to shop. Did she volunteer at a shelter or kitchen? Or was it a local eccentric she met on the 71A bus, famous for loonies that ride it? She didn't have a vehicle, so getting around would be challenging, limiting opportunities to meet people. The 71A would have been her primary link to the outside world. No nice places nearby!

The car was found abandoned by the local homeless shelter, the East Liberty Presbyterian church, curiously enough. Houses up to 34 men. 8 chronically homeless men stay there.

radiator said:

I'm not really sold on the "homeless man" idea--mostly because of the shootings and the clean-up--I hope they find this "mystery man" soon.

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If he was homeless, he would have been staying at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, which just happens to be where the car was found.

He may have been a "drifter." I raise this only because the attacks were so horrific and violent and well-planned to make me wonder if a serial killer has made his way to Pittsburgh. There are no unsolved assaults of this type in Pittsburgh - but there may be unsolved murders elsewhere (pure speculation on my part).

My best guess based on the few facts at hand, and my knowledge of the area, is that she knows the guy from riding the bus. He may be a little rough looking, and perhaps witnesses from the bus said he looked like a homeless guy (pure speculation on my part).

I hope they find him soon. He's operating with a lot of confidence in his success in his MO, which is a very dangerous state of mind for him to be in.

RedCardinal said:

Hialeah, great job! other people on the bus should be able to help LE with a description of this fellow on the bus, was he a bit of a scruffy fellow or nicely dressed. Did anyone see Susan walk along the street with him? It would be awful if she took a homeless person to the house, my gosh! Where is "common sense" & where would he get a gun? If they reside at a homeless shelter my goodness a gun would be a no no. I'd like to know if dinner was served at the home, were the plates and food still on the table. Lastly why would a homeless fellow take both cell phones?

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I can't confirm this, but was told that night before last, WPXI showed a few seconds of the bus video, showing The Mystery Man. I am skeptical, as I can't find it on the net, and you'd think if police released his image, that it would be everywhere. However, my source tells me scruffy - but then again, it was about 11 degrees that night.

Witnesses say Susan was seated by him, was talking to him, and left the bus at the same time. Presumably they walked to her house together, and she let him in, for whatever reason.

He probably got the gun the way most criminals get theirs - stole it at some point, or otherwise acquired it illegally. East Liberty does a brisk trade in illegal handguns on a regular basis.

If it was a hand gun, it could be easily concealed. Do homeless shelters frisk the men who stay there for weapons, or it is "honor system"? We are also not sure he was homeless and was staying at the shelter - it just so happens that a man described as "homeless" parked a stolen car by a homeless shelter. He could have left the car by these landmarks, and gone on foot a couple of blocks to catch a bus. Or had someone in a vehicle meet him there.

The cell phones would be small and easily concealed. I guess they are popular items to steal because they can be resold.

Pure speculation with no evidence: maybe it wasn't dinner. Maybe he gained entrance to the home by offering a service - i.e., saying he could fix something, and she wanted to help him out by giving him this small job to do in the new house. That would jibe better with her telling her employer she had an appointment, rather than she was meeting someone, or having someone over for dinner.

Hialeah said:

A pair of grey sweatpants with a business card in one of the pockets was found by the abandoned car, police revealed today. Not sure what to make of that, but would guess police think they are his pants.

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This may be critical information. Presumably, they are his pants. If there is a business card in the pocket, it is info that tells us where he was earlier in the day, perhaps. It could be an appointment card from a clinic. A social services office card. Someone gave him the card, who remembers him, and might know his identity.

Hialeah said:

This may be critical information. Presumably, they are his pants. If there is a business card in the pocket, it is info that tells us where he was earlier in the day, perhaps. It could be an appointment card from a clinic. A social services office card. Someone gave him the card, who remembers him, and might know his identity.

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Why would the killer leave a pair of jogging pants with a business card? that doesn't add up to me, if you just murdered 2 people you'd want to make sure you didn't leave anything behind. This killer is slick! between his bleach and taking the cell phones, could be the jogging pants are to throw the LE off.

Found this on their Mom's facebook page. Here, as elsewhere, these women were said to be driven by need to help others. In aid of victimology. Susan may have naively opened her home to a predator she was trying to help:

"My sisters both cared deeply about children and the world; both lived lives dedicated to education and service. Sarah was a pediatrician and psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She spent her brief career caring for children who had been deeply hurt by violence, abuse, neglect and crime.

Suzy was a former Chicago Public School teacher, a political and social activist, and for the last year, had been working as an Education Associate in Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. Back in Chicago, Suzy had worked in a Behavioral Disorder classroom in one of the most impoverished, challenging schools in the district. (Some of you have heard me talk about a time Suzy was out sick. While the sub's back was turned, her students set fire to the teacher desk. Suzy always explained that this wasn't out of malice, but rather through an unfortunate convergence of hand sanitizer, a pocket lighter and curiosity. Worst sub note ever -- although not a bad example of the process of scientific inquiry.)"

Brother says she had been in Pittsburgh for a year. Other reports were she was here only a few months....

From an article about the family from a Clinton, Iowa paper:

It would be easy to want vengeance. It would be easy to feel anger. It would be easy to hate.

Those attitudes wouldn't honor Sarah and Suzy, the family said.

"They were so compassionate," Mary said. "They were the first ones to give someone the benefit of the doubt. They believed in second chances and they would want us to forgive.

"They would want us to move on and not waste time hating whoever did this."

- See more at: http://www.clintonherald.com/lifest...emembers-Susan-and-Sarah#sthash.XdeuvIE8.dpuf

This blows me away. It is so transcendental, it doesn't seem normal, but they appear to be a highly idealistic family. My view, from a distance, is that I wish they had been a little more cautious.

This is taken from TheTributes.com for Susan and Sarah Wolfe I wondered if Susan ended up in Chicago because of this fellow JMO


"I am so sorry for your terrible loss of these two wonderful people. I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling. I had hoped to be at the funeral but am not able to. My thoughts have been with you all this past week.

Suzy and I met in classes at Iowa in the 1990s and worked together as activists on a lot of projects. She had a reputation for being extremely smart and dedicated, and always brought energy and enthusiasm into everything she did. No one who knew her would ever forget her smile and laugh. We were in touch again recently, but never managed meet. Those times were so difficult for her, especially the health issues, and loss of her cat. Still, she remained so concerned about the people around her. We often shared stories of the ups and downs of teaching and about our students. It was so moving that even as she struggled with her own pain, she was so sensitive to and insightful about problems of her day care students. For me, that most defined the person she was and whom I will remember."