Genelle Bradford disappeared in April 1999. She was found two months later but was unidentified for 27 years. Her identification, announced Tuesday, comes as part of a partnership between the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office and Othram, a private lab based in Texas. Megan Guza Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jun 9, 2026 A homicide victim unidentified since she was found locked in a Wilkinsburg basement in June 1999 has been identified as a teenage girl who disappeared two months earlier. Genelle Princess Bradford was 18 when she disappeared walking home from her job at the YWCA on Ross Avenue in Wilkinsburg. It was April 24, 1999, and she was set to graduate from Wilkinsburg High School in less than two months, according to reporting at the time. Two months later, on June 28, 1999, the body of a woman was found in the basement of a home on North Avenue in Wilkinsburg. The new owner of the property was starting renovations and wanted trash removed from the basement. The door had been nailed shut, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Inside was the decomposing body of a woman. Just shy of 27 years later, authorities have identified Genelle as the woman found inside the basement. The identification comes as part of a partnership between the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office and Othram, a private lab based in Texas that uses its own trademarked technology to analyze degraded or minuscule amounts of DNA and then build a profile and find possible genetic matches. Mandy Tinkey, front center, lab director for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, and her team in their lab on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Left to right are Jeff Veltre, Tinkey, Dan Giannettino, Lauren Karran and Hannah Skropits. (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette) "This technology is a testament to why we never stop investigating open cases," said Christopher Kearns, superintendent of Allegheny County Police, the agency investigating the previously unidentified woman's murder. It is the second time the partnership, which started in 2024 through grant money from the state, has paid off for Allegheny County investigators. In February, a murder victim who'd remained unidentified since 1992 was identified as 52-year-old Allan Keener, who'd last lived in Bridgeport, Ohio. That case was unique in that a man was arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned in connection with Keener's death, though Keener remained unidentified throughout. "We are thrilled that once again this partnership has allowed us to provide answers to a family that was left in the dark for so long," said Mandy Tinkey, director of forensic services at the medical examiner's office. "While the focus now shifts toward finding justice for Genelle, we are hopeful we can continue to provide answers for those impacted by the remaining cold cases we have shared with Othram." First Published: June 9, 2026, 7:04 a.m. Megan Guza is an award-winning reporter who has covered criminal justice in the Pittsburgh region since 2015, including for the Post-Gazette since 2022.

Allegheny County Council elects Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis as president after Patrick Catena fallout. Former council President Patrick Catena was beset by demands that he resign his post from Democrats in a turbulent month that saw him lose his state House race Jacob Geanous Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 26, 2026 After a tumultuous month for longtime Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena marked by protests and demands for him to resign, the Carnegie lawmaker relinquished his leadership position and was replaced by Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, the first woman to win the post since it was created in the late 1990s. Naccarati-Chapkis was the only person nominated for the role, and was confirmed with a unanimous vote Tuesday - including Catena. "Until today, this role has always been held by a man," she said. "That is not a criticism. It is simply history and today we are adding a new chapter to it." Naccarati-Chapkis, who has represented District 8 on the eastern edge of the county since 2022, takes over the post as council members face critical decisions about whether to launch a property tax reassessment, how to drive economic development, and what it can do to address a housing crisis. "The challenges before us are real, but so is our capacity to meet them," she said. "We are home to 130 municipalities, each with its own identity, strength, its own concerns and its own issues." The meeting came just days after Catena officially stepped down from his leadership position on Friday, and one week after he lost his primary for the state House in a lopsided election against Brittany Bloam, who won about two-thirds of the vote. Catena was one of two members to attend virtually, along with Susan Filiaggi. Catena's decision to resign as president - a post he had held since 2020 - capped off weeks of mounting political pressure that began after his campaign sent the mailer criticizing his opponent in the House race for being supported by an "extreme left group" that advocates for transgender athletes. The mailer triggered outrage from activists and residents of Catena's district, who condemned him for deploying the rhetoric, which they branded an attack on the LGBTQ community during a contentious County Council meeting two weeks ago. Following that meeting, Catena apologized for the mailer, although he said he would not step down from council or leave the state House race. Although he was replaced as president, Catena remains a member of council - and the calls for him to resign his seat continued on Tuesday. "I have to reiterate the call for council member Pat Catena, who is conveniently not here physically, to resign from his seat on the council in light of his views of transphobic rhetoric and a political mailer leader up to an election, which he lost," said Samantha Fitzgerald, a member of LGBTQ advocacy group ACT UP Pittsburgh. Catena met with members of her organization after the last County Council meeting, but did little to quell their concerns, Fitzgerald said. "Upon meeting with members of ACT UP, Catena displayed his true character, showing himself to be unremorseful and out of touch with the very transgender community he villianized," Fitzgerald said. "His seat would better be filled by a legislator that doesn't use trans people as political fodder." The effort to remove Catena as president began just hours after the meeting two weeks ago, when Councilman Jordan Botta said he submitted a motion aimed at removing him. "As the only LGBTQ member of County Council, I believe it is important to speak up when members of our community feel targeted or marginalized," Botta said at the time. "This is ultimately about leadership, tone and ensuring every resident of Allegheny County feels respected by their government." Six more council members - Dan Gryzbek, Bethany Hallam, Paul Klein, Kathleen Madonna-Emmerlin, Alex Rose, and Lissa Geiger Shulman - signed on to support Botta's motion - responded by signing on to support Botta's motion. "These actions undermine faith in County Council as a governing body, and its ability to represent and enact policy on behalf of every member of the communities that make up our County," they wrote. Some who attended the meeting on Tuesday signaled that the political uproar over the mailer has not ended - and could be directed at the council members who did not publicly push Catena to step down. "You chose that moment that the community was watching you to stay silent and not say anything, and I want you to know that we will all remember you and your silence whenever the next election comes around," said Cory Roma, political director of the Young Democrats of Allegheny County. First Published: May 26, 2026, 4:36 p.m. Jacob Geanous has been a general assignment reporter at the Post-Gazette since 2023, covering religion, criminal justice, immigration, housing and more. He is a Columbia Journalism School graduate.

Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena to step down from position, councilman says. (Credit and Caption for Photo: Allegheny County Councilman Patrick Cetena will step down from his post as council president, his colleague announced. Council members had launched an effort to force him out of the position last week. (Giuseppe LoPiccolo/Post-Gazette) Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News Discover more Local event broadcasts Radio station merchandise (Allegheny County, PA) Following calls for Pat Catena to step down as the president of Allegheny County Council - including statements from seven council members saying they would vote to remove him - Catena has announced he will resign from the position. According to a social media post from Councilman Dan Grzybek, council members will hold an election Tuesday to choose Catena's replacement. Calls for Catena to resign intensified last week after campaign mailers tied to his bid for state representative criticized transgender athletes. In a joint news release, seven council members, including Grzybek, called on Catena to step down.