A 22-year-old woman found in an alley Sunday died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.
Tacoma police had said the death of Tyliah Young was suspicious because of the location of her body and blood discovered nearby but were awaiting results of an autopsy before classifying her death as a homicide.
Police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said the investigation was ongoing. No one has been arrested.
A homeowner found Young’s frozen body in an alley in the 1200 block of South Ainsworth Avenue. It’s unknown how long she was there before her body was discovered. The previous nights had seen freezing temperatures in Tacoma.
Young was last seen the morning of Jan. 9 when she came home to drop something off and then quickly left. Her father reported Young missing Jan. 11, two days after she failed to appear in court to take care of a misdemeanor warrant.
She leaves behind two daughters, ages 5 and 7.
A brief worship service open to the public will be held Saturday where Young’s body was found, at 11 a.m. on the alley side of 1238 S. Ainsworth Ave. The Associated Ministries program, called Moments of Blessing, is meant to “reclaim spaces” where homicides have happened and to support the family and friends of the deceased, according to the organization.
The site will be marked with bamboo poles that have red and purple ribbons.
stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.