A teenage girl killed last week in a North Catasauqua double homicide was physically abused and threatened with a knife just days before the murder, according to court documents.
State police said in recently obtained search warrant documents that the 16-year-old killed Thursday morning in a home in the borough had been involved in an incident Sept. 8 in South Whitehall Township.
The girl and a woman, 39, were found dead about 11:30 a.m. Thursday in their home in the 1100 block of Railroad Street.
The victims have been identified by friends and neighbors as mother and daughter. The search warrant said the two were related but did not reveal how.
As of Monday afternoon, officials had yet to release their names or any additional information on the case.
In the days since the homicide, law enforcement has not released much information, outside of saying that two were found dead there, and that there was no danger to the community.
The search warrant documents, however, show how the investigation into the double homicide began.
Borough police went to the home about 7:30 a.m. Thursday after getting a call asking them to contact the residents there. An officer went to the home, but could not reach anyone there.
About four hours later, police received a call that someone was found unresponsive at the home. Officers arrived and found one of the victims at the top of the staircase. She had lacerations to her face and chest, and police observed a large amount of blood, according to court documents.
The other victim was found laying facedown on the floor of an upstairs bedroom, with blood under her body, police said.
Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek pronounced them dead just after 1 p.m. Their deaths were caused by sharp-force trauma, according to authorities.
The earlier incident investigated by South Whitehall police was discovered in a review of police records, according to the search warrant.
On Saturday, a small memorial with candles and flowers had been set up in front of the home. Neighbors and friends expressed shock over what happened.
The search warrant indicates police were searching for any evidence related to the homicide, including DNA and fingerprint evidence, as well as electronic devices including any surveillance cameras and cellphones found at the home.
