"Suspicious person" at center of massive Cranberry Township search found dead

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- A man is dead after a massive search in Cranberry Township prompted a shelter-in-place order for all residents on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The police chief said Cranberry Highlands Golf Course employees called after they saw a broken down car with weapons inside and a man who wasn't quite coherent on Turfgrass Drive off of Freshcorn Road.

"Our officers arrived there a short time later. The vehicle was unoccupied and there were weapons in the vehicle," Cranberry Township Police Chief Kevin Meyer said. "As they were going through the vehicle and securing the contents and getting ready to tow, they found some concerning notes inside the vehicle that led us to believe that this individual wanted to do harm to himself or others."

Around 1:30 p.m., Cranberry Township police asked all residents to shelter in place and lock their doors as officers searched for a "suspicious person." There was a massive police presence, and officers with guns drawn could be seen covering the area around the golf course, which was shut down.

The shelter-in-place was lifted around 3:30 p.m. when police said there was no longer an active threat. The man at the center of the search was found dead in the woods, but police aren't releasing more details. State police have been called in to investigate how he died.

"We appreciate the community's support and patience as we went through this," Meyer said. "Hopefully they understand that this was a law enforcement event that required the necessary shutdowns and closures and street closures, park closures, golf closures, so everything's back open now, the community's safe."

Meyers said the man wasn't from Cranberry and was staying south of the area in a motel. His identity hasn't been released.