Executive Summary
- William Daley Jr., 58, died in July following a March incident in West Mifflin.
- The Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide due to respiratory failure.
- Allegheny County Police detectives have assumed control of the ongoing investigation.
The Allegheny County Police Department has initiated a homicide investigation into the death of a 58-year-old West Mifflin man, following a new determination by the county medical examiner regarding a fatality that occurred earlier this year.
William Daley Jr. passed away at a hospital on July 12, according to official reports. Authorities indicated that Daley had previously been involved in an incident in March on Utah Avenue near Taft Avenue in West Mifflin.
This week, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office formally ruled Daley’s death a homicide. The report listed the specific cause of death as “respiratory failure.” Following this classification, county detectives were requested to assume jurisdiction over the case.
“Detectives were requested to take over this case and we are aware of the ruling by the Medical Examiner’s office. This remains an ongoing investigation,” Allegheny County Police spokesman Jim Madalinsky stated on Thursday. Law enforcement officials have not released additional details concerning the nature of the initial March incident or potential suspects.
Investigative Outlook
The reclassification of a death as a homicide several months post-mortem indicates a complex procedural shift, requiring investigators to legally and medically establish a direct causal link between the initial incident in March and the victim’s respiratory failure in July. As the investigation transitions to the county level, detectives will likely focus on reconstructing the timeline of events to determine criminal liability. At this stage, no charges have been filed, and the inquiry remains active.
