The quiet community of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has been shaken by the murder of 59-year-old Pamela Puskar, who was found stabbed to death in her apartment at the Loyalhanna Apartments on Jefferson Street. According to Latrobe Police Chief Richard Bosco, in a statement obtained by WPXI, "This is shocking and tragic to all of us in the City of Latrobe. This is very inconsistent with the way of life here." The investigation is ongoing, with authorities now searching for a person of interest believed to be connected to the crime.
Investigators received a call around 7 a.m. Sunday, suspecting the murder happened sometime on Friday night or Saturday morning, as Puskar was unresponsive throughout Saturday. After unsuccessfully reaching her, Paul Smidga, a friend of the victim, decided to check on her, and upon finding her apartment door unlocked, he made the grim discovery. He told WPXI in an exclusive interview, "She ignored me all day yesterday, and something told me to check and see if her door was unlocked."
In their efforts to piece together the events leading up to Puskar's demise, detectives are corroborating witness accounts and surveillance footage. One neighbor, Gary Hair, was recounting the events of Friday night to WTAE and remembered hearing a party, "I heard noises and stuff. I was sitting on my porch probably around midnight. I heard some guy, because they were on their porch too, from above on her floor, somebody said, 'Who’s that below you?' So, that was from someone who didn’t know who I was."
The person of interest, described as stocky with a grayish goatee and believed to be a local, was captured on surveillance images released by the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office. He is thought to be in his mid-50s to early 60s. Bosco further encouraged residents and business owners with surveillance systems to review their footage, specifically from early Saturday morning.
Authorities are urging anyone with potential information or surveillance footage that captured the person of interest after 7 a.m. on Saturday to get in touch with the Westmoreland County detective bureau at 724-830-3287 or Latrobe Police at 724-537-5526.
