Slain Lower Macungie Woman's Roommate In Disbelief Over Killing

Hilary Schiavone keeps expecting her roommate, Jennifer Snyder, to walk in the front door.

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she's gone," Schiavone said, her shoulders wracking with the rhythm of her sobs.

Snyder, 27, was found dead Friday morning in a wooded area of North Whitehall Township, not far from the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said Saturday that Snyder died of multiple gunshot wounds. Her death has been ruled a homicide, he said. 

Schiavone and Snyder lived and worked together. Both were veterinary technicians at Maple Hills Veterinary Hospital at 862 Kressler Road. They also shared the small apartment on the building's west side for the past couple of months.

Schiavone says she has not slept since she heard the news Friday that Snyder was found dead. There was nothing unusual Wednesday when Snyder told her she was going out for lunch. It was Snyder's day off.

Schiavone describes herself as a person who "worries about everything," so when she had not heard from Snyder after a few hours, she began texting her to see what was up. It was odd that she had not heard from Snyder, she said.

"I had a funny feeling," Schiavone said, "and her dog was pacing."

The discovery of Snyder's car led state police to the home the two women shared. When they asked Schiavone if she considered Snyder missing, she said she did.

"Jennifer was a very responsible person. And she was smart. So smart," Schiavone said.

According to Schaivone, Snyder loved all kinds of animals. She rescued her dog, Arthur, a shepherd mix, from the many victims of Hurricane Katrina.

But her first love was her horse, Margie. Snyder rode horses, showed horses and competed with them, too, she said.

Schiavone declined to comment on the fact that when the state police released notification Thursday that Snyder was missing, they described her as "endangered." She also declined to comment on reports that her roommate was two months' pregnant.

"I don't know what I can and can't say," Schiavone explained. "I would never want to say anything negative about her."

On Friday, still worried, Schiavone said she took a few minutes in the middle of her shift to call Snyder's mother to see if there was any news. It was then that Pat Snyder of Lehighton told her that Snyder's bullet-ridden body had been found.

"We both just sobbed," she said. Then she went back to the animal hospital to break the news to her co-workers.

"She was just an amazing person. She was kind and giving," Schiavone said. "She would do anything for you. Anything that anybody needed, she was there to do it.'

State police and the Lehigh County District Attorney's office are continuing the investigation.