Foul play is suspected in the death of an elderly Mount Airy woman whose body was found Wednesday morning inside her residence on Franklin Street near the downtown area.
Officers with the Mount Airy Police Department had been dispatched to the home at 409 Franklin St. to conduct a welfare check on the occupant.
Paul Barker, a city detective who was on the scene Wednesday, declined to say who had initiated the welfare check.
Upon arriving and making entry into the home, officers found the woman deceased around 8 a.m. The identity of the homicide victim was still being withheld late Wednesday pending notification of family members.
The residence, a two-story unit in a duplex apartment-type building, appeared to have been broken into and the victim had signs of assault, police said. The woman’s body was discovered in the upper portion of the home in a bedroom area.
Barker said he could not comment on any apparent cause of death or property missing from the dwelling.
“We’re still in the preliminary stages of it,” the detective said at the scene Wednesday afternoon. “I can’t go into any detail right now.”
Barker reiterated that late Wednesday afternoon.
“Really, the only thing I can release right now is we have determined it is a homicide,” he said of the death. “It is continuing to be investigated by the police department with assistance from the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation).” The Surry County Sheriff’s Office also has assisted.
In addition to other elements suggesting foul play, the victim’s vehicle, a Nissan, was located abandoned off Interstate 77 near mile marker 99 in Surry County south of N.C. 89 in the general vicinity of Brintle’s Truck Stop.
The section of Franklin Street where the home is located, between Willow and North South streets, was closed to vehicular traffic Wednesday as investigators processed evidence at the scene. Yellow police tape also encircled the residence.
Barker also would not comment on a report by one area media outlet that authorities might have a suspect in mind.
“I can’t release anything about that.”
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.
