News of Doom 2.0

An 84-year-old Upper Darby woman was found suffocated, beaten and left to die in her home, police said Thursday.

The body of Jane Morgan was found in her apartment by her driver on Tuesday, according to authorities. But what was first believed to be a death by natural causes took a more sinister turn after autopsy results indicated she had been suffocated, brutally beaten and sexually assaulted.

At a late-morning press conference, Police Chief Michael Chitwood called the person responsible for the woman's death "an animal."

Morgan was well-known in the area and had apparently lived alone in the fourth-floor apartment with her cats for years. She was known to leave her door unlocked, according to authorities
"This was a brutal and sadistic beating and sexual assault," Chitwood said. "The person who committed this heinous crime is a sadistic animal."

Police have search warrants for several locations in the area.

It is believed the suspect may have lived in the apartment or at least be very familiar with the complex.

A $5,000 reward for information in the case has been posted. Anyone with information is urged to contact Upper Darby police at 610-734-7762.

WASHINGTON — A woman found in her home with the decomposing bodies of four girls faces murder charges, and authorities believe she is their mother, officials said Thursday.

Banita Jacks, 33, was expected to appear Thursday in D.C. Superior Court, where the charges will be formally presented, prosecutors said.

The bodies of the girls — ages 5, 6, 11 and 17 — were found Wednesday when deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the apartment. Medical examiner Dr. Marie Pierre-Louis said the bodies were likely there more than 15 days, "based on the insects that were found there."

Jacks, who faces four counts of murder, could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

How the girls died remained under investigation, but Pierre-Louis said it appeared the oldest child might have been stabbed in the abdomen. The other three children might have been poisoned or asphyxiated, she said. The medical examiner's office was trying to identify the girls using dental records or DNA.

None of the children thought to be living in the home was enrolled in the school system, said D.C. schools spokeswoman Mafara Hobson. One child at that address had attended Stuart-Hobson Elementary School but withdrew in 2006 as a fifth-grader, she said.

Larry Jones, who lives next door, said a woman and two or three children lived at the home but he had not seen them since the summer. He said the children appeared healthy at the time.

Jones added that in recent months he has noticed a "strange odor" coming through his vent. "We thought it was probably dead mice in the vent or something," he said.