WHEELING, W.Va. — A woman found dead in a Wheeling Island residence Wednesday evening was murdered, according to police.
A news release from the Wheeling Police Department Thursday afternoon said Rayna Shae Vaughan, 21, of Wheeling, died by blunt force trauma to the head, according to a preliminary finding from the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
Officers were dispatched Wednesday night to a house at 309 South Wabash Street after getting a call for a welfare check. When they arrived they heard a small child crying. The child was in one room and Vaughan’s body was found in a separate room. Vaughan was the child’s mother, police said.
“Detectives are actively gathering evidence, conducting interviews and seeking information on this case,” the news release said.