Before dawn on June 4, 2025, Samantha Howells, 52, left home to check on a property in Pittsburgh’s Crafton Heights neighborhood. A two-round ShotSpotter alert brought officers to the 1400 block of Chartiers Avenue, where responders found Howells with gunshot wounds inside a black SUV, slumped toward an open door. CPR was performed and she was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead shortly after 5 a.m. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner confirmed her name, age, and residence later that day.

Investigators quickly focused on the SUV and nearby vehicles as evidence markers multiplied around the scene. Public visitation was set for June 10 at Thomas P. Kunsak Funeral Home. By June 12, homicide charges were filed against 19-year-old Isreal Moseby of Pittsburgh. Additional counts included persons not to possess a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license.

Samantha Howells is remembered by family as fierce, hard-working, and the binding force of a large, close-knit clan. Does anyone who knew Samantha or who was in the Crafton Heights area the morning of June 4 have information to share?