A woman who was found dead in a Wilkinsburg apartment had been sliced open in the abdomen with a "sharp weapon," the Allegheny County medical examiner's office said yesterday. Her hands were bound behind her back with duct tape as were her feet.

KDKA-TV

Kia Johnson.

The badly decomposed body of Kia Johnson, along with a placenta, was discovered Friday afternoon in the apartment of Andrea Curry-Demus, 38, who on Wednesday had appeared at West Penn Hospital with a newborn baby whom she falsely claimed to be her own.

Ms. Johnson, who was described as about 20 years old, 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing between 110 and 120 pounds, was identified by the medical examiner's office late last night.

The exact cause of death has not been determined, but during a press conference yesterday afternoon, Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams said, "Clearly, it is a homicide."

The baby, a boy, had a low heart rate and a low temperature when Ms. Curry-Demus brought him to the hospital, Dr. Williams said. But he recovered quickly. He is still at the hospital.

Ms. Curry-Demus, who told police that she bought the baby from a woman named "Tina" for $1,000, has been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She's being held at the Allegheny County Jail.

Ms. Curry-Demus likely will face more charges as the police investigation progresses, county police Assistant Superintendent Jim Morton said.

Mr. Morton confirmed the victim wasn't Tina Carter, a pregnant woman whose family lives near Ms. Curry-Demus. Her relatives had expressed concern to police and the news media on Friday night, but she has since been in contact with them.

Ms. Johnson's body had already started to decompose when found by police. She appeared to have been dead for at least two days, Dr. Williams said yesterday.

Dr. Williams said that there was a possibility that Ms. Johnson was drugged, because there were no signs of resistance. He said there were drugs found at the scene, but did not identify them.

The medical examiner's office has completed an autopsy and was awaiting toxicology results to learn what type of chemicals may have been in the woman's system and her exact time of death.

Ms. Curry-Demus, who is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the county jail, has a lengthy criminal history.

In May 1990, when she was 20 years old and living in Garfield, Ms. Curry-Demus stabbed a Wilkinsburg woman in an alleged plot to steal her infant.

The next day, Ms. Curry-Demus abducted a different baby, 3-week-old Shaquala Coleman of Highland Park, from a room in Children's Hospital. A few hours later police found Ms. Curry-Demus at her home with the child, who was fine.

She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

Ms. Curry-Demus recently married Raymond Demus, who is now in jail on rape charges.

Last month, her mother hosted a baby shower for her at an Ella Street home, and dozens of friends, neighbors and relatives gave her gifts. Decorations were still hanging from the home's front porch as recently as Friday.

Neighbors said they had been convinced Ms. Curry-Demus was pregnant.

Doctors at West Penn, however, determined the woman couldn't have given birth after paramedics brought her in with the newborn on Wednesday.

She told Wilkinsburg police she had a miscarriage in June and didn't want to upset her mother. She then struck a deal with the woman named "Tina," saying the woman had dropped off the newborn in a towel on Wednesday.

Police searched the wrong apartment at 495 Ella St. on Thursday. They returned the next day to search another apartment in the building after receiving complaints.