Human remains found in vehicle pulled from river belong to missing Shaler woman

OAKMONT, Pa. — Human remains found inside a car pulled from the Allegheny River in Oakmont in July have been identified as belonging to a missing woman from Shaler.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Janet Walsh’s body was in the car when it was pulled from the water on July 21.

Walsh went missing from Shaler in January 2020.

Channel 11 previously reported that the Allegheny County Police Department confirmed that the car pulled from the river was Walsh’s.

>>> Vehicle pulled from river with human remains found inside belonged to missing Shaler woman

Stephen Erb will never forget the day his close friend and neighbor disappeared four years ago.

“It was a shock. It really was a shock,” Erb said. “I mean she was here and then one day she was just gone.”

At the time, investigators said all of her belongings, including her cell phone, were left inside her Shaler home.

“She was supposed to see her daughter that night and just went out and disappeared,” said Erb.

Erb said he and his wife spoke with Walsh a couple of days before. For weeks, they had been checking in on her, comforting her after she lost her husband about three months before she went missing.

“She was taking her husband’s death pretty hard, everybody was,” he said. “She was trying to cope and get through it.”

The 70-year-old disappeared from her home in January 2020. Two weeks ago, police found her SUV 10 miles away at the bottom of the Allegheny River.

Erb hopes that the identification of Walsh’s body helps the family with some closure.

“I was just glad they finally found her,” he said. “It’s going to be a good deal for her daughter to know that she’s not missing anymore.”

The medical examiner has still not determined a cause and manner of death, but Allegheny County Police told Channel 11 there are no signs of foul play.

Erb said his friend of more than a decade was kind and a person of faith. Those are the memories he holds on to as he waits for answers.

“The whole neighborhood wanted to find out what happened. We still do,” Erb said. “She just disappeared out of the blue.”

Erb said Walsh was healthy and didn’t have any illnesses he knew of.

Allegheny County Police said they are still investigating the case.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group