Man's death raises questions
A close-knit Butler County family is struggling for answers to nagging questions.
Why did their son and brother end up dead inside an Allegheny County apartment that he was renovating?
Who was the woman found dead with him on the same couch?
What do police know that they aren't sharing?
“He was quiet and easy going. A good person. He never drank and never went into bars. He never did any drugs,” said Pattie Walker of her brother, Franklin Nicolazzo. “The only thing he ever did was smoke cigarettes.
“What happened to him? We don't know. We're just devastated.”
Allegheny County homicide investigators are saying little about their investigation into the deaths of Nicolazzo, 57, of Penn Township and Angela L. Schlagel, 37, of Lyndora.
The couple was found dead Friday by Walker's sister, Cindy Nicolazzo of Saxonburg, who had gone to the house after the family grew concerned when they had not seen or heard from Nicolazzo for two and a half days.
Cindy and her husband broke down the front door of the home on Kuntz Street in Harrison Township's Natrona neighborhood that her brother, Tim Nicolazzo of Penn Township, had recently bought as rental property.
Nicolazzo, who had moved back to the area from Missouri two months ago and was going through a divorce, had been spending much of his time in recent days at the home, which brother Tim planned to convert into three apartments.
Investigators said they believe the deaths are not suspicious. But they have said little else.
Autopsies done Sunday did little to clear up how Nicolazzo and Schlagel died.
A cause and manner of death for both are still pending, a supervisor with the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office said.
The supervisor said it could take eight to 24 weeks before authorities know what killed the couple.
Forensic investigators must wait for further testing on tissue and body fluid samples, primarily blood work.Neither Nicolazzo nor Schlagel had suffered any trauma, which would indicate foul play, the autopsies found.Authorities upon the initial discovery of the pair wondered if they had succumbed to accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning. But that theory was dismissed when they found Nicolazzo's pug puppy alive in the house.Investigators refused to say if any narcotics were found at the scene, which could suggest a drug-related connection, an overdose of some kind.Telephone messages left for Allegheny County homicide detectives Sunday and this morning were not returned.Walker said investigators aren't going out of their way to keep the family in the loop either.“I don't think police are answering our questions,” she said.The family is particularly inquisitive about Schlagel. They never heard of her until police told them of Nicolazzo's death.But they know of her checkered past.Schlagel has a lengthy criminal history, according to court records. Most of her convictions between 2002 and 2104 were for shoplifting and other thefts.But two other cases, for misdemeanor drug possession, are especially alarming to the Nicolazzo family.Last June, Schlagel pleaded guilty in Armstrong County Court to possession of a controlled substance. She was placed on one year's probation, records showed.She also had another 2014 possession case still pending in Butler County Court.“How the hell did my brother get involved with this lady?” Walker said.Nicolazzo's father, Michael Nicolazzo of Penn Township, and his five children, are in the dark about any kind of relationship the two shared.He never mentioned her name, Walker and Cindy Nicolazzo both said.Schlagel is survived by two daughters and a grandson. The Butler Eagle could not find any family members for comment.A friend, Bea Wideman, lives in the same Penn Avenue apartment in Lyndora where Schlagel used to live until she was evicted about three years ago.She was kicked out after her then live-in boyfriend was arrested for — and later convicted of — robbing two banks in Butler and Penn township, Wideman said.But Schlagel's former landlord also wanted her out for other reasons, including drug use.“She was a nice person, a good person, before she got messed up with drugs,” Wideman said of Schlagel.Meanwhile, the Nicolazzo family grieves and wonders.“We were all trying to get Frank re-established,” Walker said. “He was hoping to open up a garage door business. He had plans.”His obituary is on Page 8.
