Divers plan to search Keystone Lake in Derry Township today for a .22-caliber handgun that may have been used in the slaying of Dr. Andrew D. Bagby, a doctor serving a residency at Latrobe Area Hospital whose body was found in Keystone State Park.
State police have been looking for the weapon that the 28-year-old Bagby received from a friend, Shirley J. Turner, a fellow physician.
According to an application for a search warrant filed earlier this week, state police said Turner told them she gave Bagby a .22-caliber Phoenix Arms handgun. Police searched Bagby's apartment and vehicle but could not locate the weapon.
Turner attended medical school with Bagby in Newfoundland and reportedly visited him the weekend before his death. She had been working at Loring Hospital in Sac City, Iowa, until about six months ago when she left. It's not known where she is living currently.
Sac City is a community of 2,368 in western Iowa, midway between Fort Dodge and Sioux City.
State police Sgt. William Krulac would not comment on Turner's visit or the search for the weapon.
State police will not divulge the caliber of the murder weapon, and acting Westmoreland County Coroner V.L. "Skip" Rusiewicz said he has not received a written copy of the autopsy that would contain the information.
Divers from the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department will search an area near the dam at Keystone Lake. Investigators suspect the killer may have disposed of the weapon close to the murder scene.
Bagby's body was found near his car in the parking lot of the boat launch area Tuesday morning. He had been shot five times and suffered a severe blow to the head that contributed to his death, according to the results of an autopsy conducted by the coroner's office.
The 78-acre lake is a popular boating and fishing spot in the park, which is located in Derry Township, about two miles southeast of New Alexandria.
State police believe Bagby was killed Monday evening. His body was discovered Tuesday morning by two people out for an early stroll in the park. Bagby still was wearing his hospital scrubs and name tag.
Bagby was supposed to have met a colleague Monday night for a drink but never arrived. He was new to the area, having started a three-year residency in family medicine in July.
Dorothy Hufford, a spokeswoman for Latrobe Area Hospital, said a memorial service is being planned for Bagby. No date has been set.
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