WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — The man detectives said was their prime suspect in the disappearance and death of his girlfriend was found dead in his home early Thursday morning, less than two days after his girlfriend’s body was found.
“It’s horrible. Knowing I’m so close to somebody like that? Yeah. It’s horrible,” said Nicole Brautigam, who lived next door to Roger Angelo Jr. and Amy Shipley.
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Shipley was last seen on September 8. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said she was seen by relatives at 520 West Vincent Street in Ligonier.
With the help of the FBI Evidence Response Team, Shipley’s body was found buried in a makeshift, five-foot-deep grave, behind Angelo’s grandparent’s vacant home in Cook Township.
Detectives believe she died at the home on West Vincent Street.
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“Doing some interviews around that property we found out they were using some big machinery in that area, and that’s what led us there [to Cook Township],” said Chief Westmoreland County Detective Ron Zona.
The District Attorney’s office said Angelo was going to be charged in Shipley’s disappearance. But early Thursday morning, Angelo was found dead in the trailer on West Vincent Street with apparent self-inflicted knife wounds.
“This whole area was taped off with police tape,” Brautigam said.
Even though their prime suspect was found dead, detectives say the investigation isn’t over.
“There was a lot of moving parts to this, there may be some other individuals involved, and I think our continued investigation will get to the bottom of that,” Zona told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.
Channel 11 spoke with a family friend of Shipley Wednesday night after her body was found.
“Amy was a great person. She didn’t deserve this,” she said. “it’s just not fair that she’s gone. It’s just not fair.”
“I feel bad for her family,” Brautigam added. “It’s horrible.”
A cause of death for Shipley has not yet been released.
Detectives are waiting for autopsy and toxicology reports for both Shipley and Angelo.
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