Police are still investigating the gruesome murder of a pediatrician whose burnt body was found hog-tied, strangled and charred in the basement of her apartment Wednesday.

Melissa Ketunuti, 35, lived alone with her dog in a residential area in Philadelphia, Pa.

Firefighters responded to a call at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday from her male dog-walker, who discovered Ketunuti's body tied up inside her basement, according to Daily Mail. Investigators on the scene said Ketunuti was strangled with a rope, had her hands and feet duct-taped together behind her back, and was set on fire.

Ketunuti was reportedly completely clothed with no signs of a sexual assault. The rope hung around her neck when the authorities found her.

"Fire department puts out the fire and pronounces her dead, at this time we don't know the cause of death," said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "However, the body was still smoldering, the wrists and ankles are tied behind the back, the body was face down."

Small said that the burns on Ketunuti's body were mainly concentrated on her arms and chest.

Based on their investigation so far, the police believed Ketunuti was running work errands on Monday morning before returning home at around 11 a.m. It was reported that she was murdered between that time and noon.

On Thursday morning, an exterminator is being charged with committing the heinous crime, as Jason T. Smith, 36, confessed to the slaying of Ketunuti. He stated that the victim had been disrespecting him and putting him down while he tended to a basement rodent problem.

An argument reportedly ensued and he struck her and she fell. Smith then allegedly strangled her and lit her on fire, police said in a press conference.

Law enforcement officials are currently questioning people in the neighborhood with the hopes of finding out more pertinent information. The police are awaiting autopsy results to officially confirm the victim's cause of death.

A $35,000 reward is still being offered to anyone with more details leading to a conviction in the case.