Ralph Brown’s death has left investigators focused on a broken living arrangement, alleged theft and a body found by tracks.
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Ralph Brown let two people live in his Uniontown home, prosecutors say, before the arrangement collapsed into a homicide case that ended with his body near railroad tracks.
Brown, 71, is the victim in a Fayette County case that has drawn attention for its setting as much as its charges. Authorities say Terry Newland, 58, and Alysha Riggans, 30, lived with him, argued with him about money, killed him inside the home and later tried to hide the crime. Both defendants were jailed without bond on homicide-related charges.
The story investigators have described starts with a room in a home on Crow Avenue. Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said Newland and Riggans were supposed to stay for a short time, but they remained after Brown wanted them to leave. He said they changed their address, making the situation harder for Brown. “They were going to basically take a room for a short period of time and ended up changing their address to a point where he really couldn’t get them out,” Aubele said. The comment framed the case as a private housing conflict that had grown tense before violence was reported.
Authorities say the conflict was also financial. Brown and the two defendants had been fighting about money in the week before his death, according to the district attorney. Prosecutors allege Newland and Riggans formed a plan to kill Brown and steal from him. Public reports do not show the full history of the dispute, how long the pair had been in the house or whether Brown had taken formal legal steps to remove them. What is known from prosecutors is that by early April, the living arrangement had become part of a criminal investigation.
The alleged killing happened Wednesday, April 1, after Brown returned to the Crow Avenue home. Riggans told police she saw Newland stab Brown in the neck with a knife and then beat him in the head with a table, according to details reported from the police account. She also said she and Newland tied a bag around Brown’s head, wrapped his feet with cords and placed the body in the basement. The defendants have not been convicted, and the allegations remain claims by prosecutors unless proved in court. No defense explanation was included in the public reports reviewed.
For two days, prosecutors say, Brown’s body remained inside the house. Around 4 a.m. Saturday, April 4, authorities allege Newland and Riggans moved him from the basement and left him near railroad tracks off West Kerr Street. The body was wrapped in a blanket. It was found Sunday, April 5, along an active railway near Kerr Street, in an area local reports placed near the Uniontown city limits and North Union Township. Police have not publicly said who discovered the body, whether train traffic was interrupted or how long the body was outside before state police arrived.
The home became the second public point in the investigation once Brown was identified. Aubele said investigators went to the Crow Avenue address and encountered the two defendants. He said police noticed possible blood and other items of forensic value as soon as they entered. That scene helped connect the body near the tracks to the alleged events inside the house. Authorities have not released the full results of forensic testing, and no public report reviewed listed every item seized. The early statements, however, show prosecutors expect the house itself to be a major source of evidence.
Riggans faces added allegations tied to Brown’s money. Police said she took cash from Brown’s pockets while his body was in the basement and spent more than $600 using his debit card. Investigators also determined money had been taken from Brown’s bank accounts, according to reports. Those claims are reflected in charges accusing her of theft and unlawful use of an access device. Newland is charged with the homicide-related offenses but was not reported to face the same theft and access-device counts. Prosecutors have not publicly said whether any of the money was recovered.
Brown’s death moved quickly from local discovery to criminal court. Newland and Riggans were arrested and arraigned early Monday, April 6. Both were sent to the Fayette County Jail without bond. The district attorney’s office said all defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty. A preliminary hearing was set for April 20 before Magisterial District Judge Jennifer L. Jeffries. That hearing was the first major checkpoint for prosecutors, who would need to present enough evidence to keep the case moving through court. A trial date had not been reported in the early coverage.
The case sits in a region where small-city neighborhoods, rental homes and nearby rail lines are close together. Uniontown, south of Pittsburgh, has roughly 10,000 residents. Brown’s body was found in a public industrial corridor, but prosecutors say the crime began in the far more private space of a home where three people had been living. Aubele said people around the community described Brown as beloved. “We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. His office identified Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown as the investigating agency.
Important details are still unknown. Officials have not publicly released final autopsy findings, a complete motive statement, full bank records or any full interview transcript. They also have not said whether neighbors saw movement at the house during the two days after the alleged killing. The public timeline relies on prosecutor statements, police details attributed to Riggans and court charges. Later hearings may clarify how investigators say the defendants moved the body, what forensic tests showed and whether either defendant challenges the admissibility of statements or evidence.
The charges have left the case with two central settings: Brown’s home, where prosecutors say the killing and concealment began, and the railroad tracks where the body was found. The distance between those places is now part of the state’s theory, along with the alleged money use after Brown died. The defendants remain presumed innocent as the court process continues.
Currently, Brown’s death remained an active Fayette County homicide prosecution. The next public developments are expected through court filings, hearing results and any further statements from prosecutors or defense counsel.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.