Dawson man charged in the death of missing Bullskin Township woman
A Dawson man charged with killing a woman allegedly told another man that he “lost his mind” and stabbed her.
Thomas Nathan Teets, 32, was charged with criminal homicide Thursday in the Sept. 15 death of Leah Marie Owens, 31, of Bullskin Township. Owens, whom police said always kept in close contact with her family, was reported missing last month.
After police arrested Teets Thursday morning, he was questioned at the barracks throughout the day. Around 3 p.m., police said he led them to her body. Authorities did not disclose where exactly Owens body was found, but said are they bringing in an forensic anthropologist to help with the case.
Teets’ mother and stepfather, Sherry Able and Nathan Able, told police he came home “covered in blood” with a piece of his finger cut off, between 4 and 5 p.m. Sept. 15, the day Owens was last seen by her family. Teets told his mother a man cut his finger, so he killed him. Later she asked him, “Is Leah the one you killed?” “Yes, but I promise it was self-defense,” she said he responded.
Andrew Coliny, whose daughter previously dated Teets, said Teets stopped by for the first time in two months asking for a rake and shovel Sept. 16. He told police Teets left “in a hurry and he has not seen him since.”
In an affidavit of probable cause filed against Teets, police said they interviewed Brandon A. Laffitte, 30, of Connellsville at the Fayette County district attorney’s office on Oct. 3.
Laffitte, who was arrested on drug charges on Sept. 29, asked to speak to investigators about Owens’ disappearance, police said.
He told police that Teets and Owens came to his home around 8:30 a.m. Sept. 15 to buy drugs. Police said Laffitte told them he sold Teets and eight ball of cocaine for $300 and they left, with Teets driving Owens’ vehicle.
Later that night, Teets called Laffitte saying that he “(expletive) up” and “she’s gone,” police said Laffitte told them.
Laffitte told police he was in Detroit at the time. When he returned on Sept. 18, police said, Laffitte met with Teets.
“Laffitte related that is when Teets told him that he was scared and that she was gone. Laffitte said Teets told him that he lost his mind and kept stabbing Owens,” police reported in the affidavit.
When he asked what happened, Laffitte reportedly told police that Teets told him three different stories. During another conversation, police said, “Laffitte said that Teets told him that they don’t got no body, there will be no case.”
Cpl. Heather Clem-Johnston and Trooper Terrance Crowley Jr., who filed charges against Teets, said her vehicle was found on Sept. 25 in a secluded area off of Fairview Road in Springfield Township.
After the car was found, police said they searched the home of Teets’ mother and stepfather and found the keys to Owens’ vehicle in a vent. Police said they also found three pieces of clothing with blood on them.
Inside the car, police found a broken pocket knife. They also found blood on the passenger’s side seat and door, the driver’s side door, steering wheel, center console and interior dome light.
Police said lab results showed Owens’ blood on the knife and on the passenger side door. Teets’ blood was also found on the knife and in the vehicle, according to court paperwork.
“The Pennsylvania state police have exhausted all leads with Owens’ date of birth, Social Security number, the Department of Welfare, PennDOT, bank accounts that she may or may not have had, and other agencies,” police wrote in the criminal filing.
“At this time, Leah Marie Owens is still unaccounted for. The defendant, Thomas Nathan Teets, was the last known individual to be with Owens. Further, the consistency of Owens’ practice of maintaining a close relationship with her family, included but not limited to, her children, were numerous. That routine has not occurred since Sept. 15, 2017,” police wrote.
During multiple interviews with Teets, information in the court paperwork shows he changed what he told police about when he was with Owens, and what happened to her. On Sept. 20, the day Owens was reported missing, Teets told police he dropped her off on Sept. 17. One day later, he told a different trooper he last saw her Sept. 15.
On Sept. 25, Teets again spoke to police, telling them that he and Owens were parked on Breakneck Road in Bullskin Township when a black sports utility vehicle pulled up behind them. According to court paperwork, Teets claimed a man inside the SUV shot Owens and then shot at him. Police said Teets told them he drove off, leaving Owens behind, and later leaving her car in Springfield Township.
Police also said they interviewed Owens’ family members during the course of their investigation. Her mother, Camilla Crosby, told police Teets and Owens came to her home twice on Sept. 15. Her daughter asked for money the first time and a blank check the second time, police said, telling her mother she needed it or Teets would take her car. Crosby told police her daughter seemed scared and nervous. Owens’ sister, Lauren Solosky, told police her sister said she needed money “because she was in trouble.”
Magisterial District Judge Jennifer Jeffries, who arraigned Teets around 9:30 a.m., denied bail because of the homicide charge. Teets is additionally charged with aggravated assault, robbery, theft, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
He faces a preliminary hearing next month.