- Two women have been fatally shot in Allentown in the past two weeks, according to authorities
- 18-year-old Sian Cartagena was the oldest of five children, her mother said
- Giselle Trabal, 35, left behind three children, according to her family
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An 18-year-old woman was fatally shot last week in Allentown, according to the Lehigh County coroner.
Sian Cartagena died Wednesday afternoon at Cedar Crest Hospital, two days after she was shot at a home in the 2000 block of West Green Street in Allentown, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said Monday.
Cartagena turned 18 in mid-August and “had so many goals, dreams and plans for herself and her future, just stepping into becoming a young adult,” her mother, Dolores, wrote on a GoFundMe page she set up Monday to help pay for her daughter’s funeral.
“I want to give her the best service and arrangements, because my baby didn’t deserve this cruel and inhumane act to have taken her life away,” the mother wrote.
Sian Cartagena “had so many goals, dreams and plans for herself and her future, just stepping into becoming a young adult."Dolores Cartagena, mother
Cartagena was the oldest of five children; she had three sisters and a brother, her mother said.
Her death is the 16th homicide in Allentown this year and the second in less than two weeks, according to authorities.
Earlier death
Giselle Trabal, 35, was fatally shot early Sept. 29 at an apartment in the 600 block of North Law Street, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said.
“Giselle was always a happy spirit and did the best she could given the circumstances of her life."John Trabal, brother
Trtabal died at Lehigh Valley-Cedar Crest Hospital “after a few hours of fighting for her life,” her brother, John Trabal, wrote on a GoFundMe page to support her family.
Giselle Trabal had three children and “was a loving sister who was always there if I needed her,” John Trabal wrote.
“Giselle was always a happy spirit and did the best she could given the circumstances of her life,” he wrote.
“She lived a difficult life and was no stranger to hardship and throughout it all she made sure her kids were safe, cared for, and surrounded by love.”
Obadiah Whack, 29, of Allentown, is facing criminal homicide and gun charges stemming from Trabal's death, Martin said.
Authorities allege Whack killed Trabal by shooting through her front door. Whack has been in Lehigh County Jail since Oct. 4 without the possibility of bail, according to court records.
