Officials probe Uniontown man’s death
Uniontown police and the Fayette County Coroner’s office are investigating the death of a Uniontown man found dead in his home Wednesday morning. Fayette County Deputy Coroner Alvin Sapp pronounced Kenneth Deems, 49, of 197 Coffey St. dead at 7:23 a.m., according to Deputy Coroner Jessie Langer.
Police said it was not immediately clear whether Deems, who was assaulted by three men wielding baseball bats in Uniontown last week, died as a result of natural causes or from the assault, prompting an investigation and autopsy.
Deputy Coroner Marisa Springer said Allegheny County Forensic Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht conducted an autopsy late Wednesday, but results were not immediately available.
According to police, officers received a call from Joyce Deems of Uniontown just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, reporting her husband unresponsive.
Once at the home, police said they found Kenneth Deems dead in an upstairs bedroom and investigators believed he had been dead “for some time.”
According to information gathered from Joyce Deems, her husband was complaining of light-headedness Tuesday evening and sometime that evening she said he allegedly tried to push his broken nose back into place.
During the night, Joyce Deems told police that Kenneth Deems was not feeling well and snoring loudly, causing her to sleep somewhere else in the home, police said.
When she returned to the bedroom in the morning, she found Deems unresponsive and called 911, police said.
Police said five days before Deems’ body was discovered, he reported an assault to Uniontown police that occurred off Coffey Street.
Uniontown Officer Thomas Kolencik stated in a written report that Deems told police three men assaulted him in an alley intersecting Coffey Street Friday around 8:16 p.m.
Deems told police that the men, described as three black males, demanded money by allegedly stating, “Give me your money, white boy,” and then beat Deems, causing injuries to his face and head.
Kolencik said Deems’ wife took him to the Uniontown Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Uniontown Sgt. Fred Balsley, who initially investigated the death, turned the case over to Uniontown Detective Jason Cox.