The life of a woman missing for six months ended in a reputed Spring Garden crack house only blocks from her home.

Authorities yesterday used dental records to identify mummified remains hidden under bags of clothing in a basement on Spring Garden Avenue as Melissa Snodgrass.

She was found with the decomposed remains of her mother's dog, which Snodgrass had taken for a walk to a convenience store on Sept. 7, the day she disappeared.

The Allegheny County coroner's office said Snodgrass, who was 21 when she vanished, died from head injuries. Her death was ruled a homicide, pushing 2003's county homicide total to a record 122.

Chief Deputy Coroner Joseph Dominick said based on the evidence at the scene, the time of Snodgrass's death was "consistent with" the time she went missing.

Neither the coroner's office nor Pittsburgh police would speculate whether a weapon was used to kill Snodgrass, but Cmdr. Maurita Bryant said detectives believe she was slain inside 1004 Spring Garden Ave.

Since the body was discovered just before 5 p.m. Tuesday by two people, one of whom was identified as the homeowner by Bryant, homicide detectives have sought out people who had lived at the house, which is currently vacant.

"It appears that several different people at one time or another stayed in the house," Bryant said, adding that it was rumored to be a place where crack cocaine addicts went to get high.

Bryant could not estimate how many people stayed there, but said police have interviewed several of them. Bryant also could not say whether they resided in the house with the homeowner's knowledge or permission.

It was too early in the investigation yesterday for police to say why Snodgrass was slain or by how many attackers. Bryant said police have an eye on several people as possible suspects.

On the day she was last seen, Snodgrass left the house where she lived with her mother in the 800 block of Peralta Street to go to a market on nearby Chestnut Street. She bought a few things and left.

The next day, Snodgrass's mother, Charmaine Cefalo, called police. She told detectives that her daughter had been acting normally and did not seem out of sorts.

During the next six months, detectives in the missing persons squad tried to find Snodgrass. Her family tacked up fliers in the neighborhood. Tips came in, but no sightings. They talked to men who were said to have dated Snodgrass. Police even checked with the city pound and animal shelters for the family's chihuahua/terrier mix named Baby.

"Everything seemed odd about it," missing persons Sgt. Amanda Aldridge recalled. "She didn't take anything personal with her, except for the dog."

Snodgrass did have her cell phone, but no one answered it after Sept. 7. Police were aware of suspicions that Snodgrass popped pills, Aldridge said. And there was a rumor -- never pinned down -- that either Snodgrass owed someone money, or she was holding money for someone else who was a debtor.

Just a month after Snodgrass disappeared, police were called to the house where she was eventually found. On Oct. 10, an officer from the North Side station was dispatched to the home, Bryant said. She did not know the nature of the call.

"The officer went on the scene, talked to somebody who identified himself as the owner of the house. They looked through the house," Bryant said. "In the officer's assessment, things checked out OK."

Bryant declined to identify the officer. She did not know if the homeowner was the same person who discovered Snodgrass's body.