Two people charged for hiding, abusing corpse of missing woman found in Aliquippa
ALIQUIPPA ― State police investigators have charged two people with the abuse of a corpse after they were accused of hiding the body of 24-year-old Ri'Kiah Griffie two years ago.
According to court documents filed Tuesday morning, charges were filed against 33-year-old Karissa Brewer of Aliquippa and 36-year-old Shawn Dedominicis of Coal Township. The two suspects are allegedly responsible for transporting and hiding Griffie's body inside an abandoned building behind the Towne Towers apartments shortly after she reportedly died of an accidental overdose in 2022.
More: State police say body found in Aliquippa identified as woman who went missing in 2022
On May 4, 2023, The Times reported that detectives were offering a cash reward for any information on Griffie's whereabouts after searching for the woman for months. Police had investigated several potential leads before offering the reward, but none of these original investigations revealed where Griffie had gone after her family had last contacted her on Oct. 11, 2022.
In the recent court filings, state troopers said Griffie had "allegedly died of a suspected drug overdose" in the suspects' apartment in the Towne Towers building. After her death, both Dedominicis and Brewer did not contact the police and let her body lay on their living room floor for a period of one to three days, the report said.
To remove her from the building, police said the two put Griffie in a garbage can by "folding her in half" and dragging the can to the abandoned building at 100 Fifth Ave. Police said Dedominicis then covered the dead body with debris and threw her personal belongings into a nearby dumpster.
On Oct. 12, 2022, Dedominicis cashed in Griffie's cell phone at the ecoATM kiosk at the Walmart location in Center Township, police said.
According to court records, Brewer faces two misdemeanors for conspiracy and abuse of a corpse. She is free on a $25,000 unsecured bond.
Dedominicis faces misdemeanor charges for theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence, conspiracy and abuse of a corpse.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Two people charged for hiding corpse of missing woman found in Aliquippa
