FAIRFAX, Ohio — A woman found murdered in her Fairfax home on February 2 suffered "trauma to the head and neck," according to Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco.
The coroner's office said it has performed an autopsy on the body of 64-year-old Sheila "Denise" Tenpenny, who was found dead in her home on Germania Street earlier this month.
Police have been calling her death suspicious since the initial investigation began; the coroner's office said it has officially ruled Tenpenny's death a homicide.
The preliminary autopsy has found trauma to Tenpenny's head and neck, but the coroner's office did not offer any further information on what may have happened to her.
According to court documents, police have arrested a 13-year-old boy and charged him with Tenpenny's murder. Court documents say the alleged murder happened the night before, at around 8:28 p.m.
According to a Fairfax police report a man, who told dispatchers he was Tenpenny's brother, called 911 after he found her dead.
"She got her face covered with a pillow," said the man to dispatchers. "She did not respond when I yelled at her."
Neighbors told WCPO 9 News the boy charged with Tenpenny's murder lived nearby.
Hear from neighbors about the case:
The police report also says officers found what appeared to be blood on the bed where Tenpenny was found and on a tablet next to her, along with several bottles of cleaning supplies.
Police also asked the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI) to assist in the investigation. BCI said the male suspect who did it was likely physically injured while committing the crime and may have had visible cuts or bruises on his hands, wrists, forearms or face.
Fairfax Chief of Police Col. Jeffrey W Bronson said in a press release family, friends, neighbors and the entire Village of Fairfax are mourning Tenpenny's death as she was a long-time resident of the community.
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