Man charged with arson, slayings of woman, child

been ruled homicides.

Pletnewski had been strangled and stabbed before the house fire that killed her 8-year-old daughter, authorities said.

Pletnewski died of cervical compression with sharp force injuries at her home on Longwood Road near Mayfield Road, the Cuyahoga County medical examiner’s office said.

Olivia Schneider, 8, died of smoke inhalation after she was taken to Hillcrest Hospital, the medical examiner’s office said.

Investigators suspected arson in the fire because a K-9 officer had detected an accelerant in the house, Mayfield Heights Fire Chief Bruce Elliott said Nov. 20. Samples pulled from the home were sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing.

A passerby called 911 about 1 a.m. to report flames coming from the home. Firefighters arrived and quickly extinguished the blaze, Elliott said.

They found Pletnewski dead on the first floor, Elliott said. Her daughter was found on the second floor.

The home sustained heavy fire damage just inside the door on the first floor, Elliott said. It also had heavy fire damage on the second floor.

Pletnewski had owned the home since December 2016, according to Cuyahoga County property records. She was an ICU nurse at University Hospitals’ Cleveland Medical Center, a spokeswoman for the health system said.

Pletnewski’s co-workers released a statement about her death on Wednesday afternoon:

“Rebecca was so much to so many. She touched many patients’ and families’ lives who passed through our ICU, but to us she was family,” the statement said. “We shared laughs, we shared tears, and we shared stories. She had such a unique, in-depth personal relationship with each of us. She could relate to and befriend anyone and everyone, and she did. ... We are a family and will get through this difficult time, but we will never be the same.”

Olivia was a thirdgrade student at Lander Elementary School, Mayfield Heights City Schools said.