(NOTE FROM ERIN: Sadly, we have not previously written about the death of Dr. David Bailey. As busy as we are, we try our best to catch every single unfortunate doctor death. We often rely on our readers to keep us informed.)
It has been six months since Dr. David Bailey was found dead inside his North Huntingdon chiropractic office 30 minutes before opening. There have been no arrests in the case and investigators quickly suspected foul play. The case is considered a homicide and now Bailey’s family is offering a reward for some answers.
An employee discovered Bailey’s body at 8:30 a.m. Friday in his Parkway Drive office. That was eight days after he apparently did not show up at a federal court hearing seeking the payment of back employment taxes.
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Dan Beisler, the family attorney and a friend of Bailey, said:
“That Friday morning, that was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. [There were] lots of people going up and down sometime between 7:30 and 8:15. This man’s life was taken.
We’re at a loss right now. I mean the police are doing what they can. We’re still waiting on DNA results six months after the fact, and we need help.
We’re just hoping someone comes forward, maybe saw something or even one of the perpetrators or someone that knows the perpetrator is going to step up and give this family peace of mind.”1
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North Huntingdon police Chief Robert Rizzo said Wednesday:
“The investigation started on Friday, over the weekend is when the autopsy was performed, forensic evidence was reviewed by the investigators. Initially, the death was ruled suspicious. After the review of all that evidence, it was determined it was moving to a homicide investigation.”2
Police would not say how Bailey died. According to Rizzo and Mike Brajdich, chief Westmoreland County detective, no one was ever in danger. Both declined to discuss suspects, and no charges have been filed. Rizzo said:
“Investigators never believed there was an … immediate community threat. It is very active, there’s a lot to it. There’s four detectives working it actively, and they’re putting a lot of hours in.”2
Toxicology results will take several weeks, Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha said.
In July, a lien filed by the IRS in county court showed that Bailey owed $19,910 in income taxes.
Federal court records show Bailey’s business was in jeopardy of being shut down because he owed $325,000 in employment taxes as of August 10, 2018. The IRS had been trying since 2008 to bring the business into compliance. Still, court filings said the “pattern of behavior” continued into recent years, leading the agency to seek a permanent injunction in April 2018.
Four months later, that injunction was granted. Bailey was ordered to start paying taxes and file quarterly returns.
Bailey neglected to show up for a federal hearing in Pittsburgh on November 21. Six days later, prosecutors filed a proposed order in the case, asking a judge to hold him in contempt and shut down the chiropractic business. A judge had not signed that order.
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Bailey had been in business since 1998, according to federal filings. M&T Bank in June filed a mortgage foreclosure action in Westmoreland County court on the business property. According to the filing, no payments have been made since August 1, 2018.
Family members could not be reached, and a woman who answered the door at Bailey’s Hempfield home Wednesday declined to comment.
Bailey is survived by his wife and three sons.
Anyone with information about his death is asked to call township police at 724-863-8800.
