Tacony woman wasn't Kensington Strangler victim

A Tacony woman found dead in a Kensington rowhouse on Christmas Eve apparently was not a victim of the Kensington Strangler, according to police and autopsy results.

The woman, identified yesterday as Crystal Dawejko, 25, did not die of strangulation or trauma, according to the Medical Examiner's Office, which is awaiting toxicology results to make a final determination on the cause of death.

Dawejko, of Vandike Street near Unruh Avenue, was found dead about 3:10 p.m. Friday in a house on C Street near Somerset, police said. Her death has not been ruled a homicide, but the Homicide Detective Division is investigating and toxicology reports are pending, police said.

When Dawejko's body was found, speculation mounted that she could have been the latest victim of the so-called Kensington Strangler, whose first known victim, Elaine Goldberg, was found on Nov. 3 in a vacant lot about three blocks away.

The strangulations and sexual assaults of three women - Goldberg, Nicole Piacentini, 35, and Casey Mahoney, 27 - have been linked to the strangler by DNA. Three other women claim they survived similar attacks during which they were choked to the point of unconsciousness.

The reward for the strangler's arrest now stands at $7,000, and the reward for his arrest and conviction is $37,000. Tipsters are urged to call police at 215-686-8477.