There is no information about the cause or manner of death as of now.
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| A Leggett commissioner confirmed the town's mayor and his wife were found dead at a home in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. In this image, Fredericton Police arrive at the scene of a shooting incident in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, Aug. 10, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Dan Culberson |
By Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan, International Business Times
A Leggett commissioner confirmed the town's mayor and his wife were found dead at a home in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, on Thursday. The victims were identified as Gary Skelton and his wife Jackie.
Edgecombe County Sheriff's office said they were called to a home at 7218 N.C. Highway 33 in Leggett to check on the welfare of someone thought to be missing. They conducted a welfare check and found two people dead on the property, local daily WRAL reported.
There is no information about a cause or manner of death as of now.
"It blew me away. It immediately made me nauseous. The nicest couple. Gary just got back this weekend from going and babysitting his grandchild, who has a broken bone,” Leggett town commissioner Teresa Summerlin told CBS17.
According to a statement from the sheriff's office, some suspects were taken into custody. No one else is believed to be in danger. Investigators had initially said the victims were an adult male and adult female and official records and neighbors confirmed the property belonged to the mayor.
The sheriff's office has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. EDT Friday to provide more details regarding the case.
In a similar incident in September last year, mayor of a city in Belgium was found dead in a graveyard near his home with his throat slashed.
Alfred Gadenne was in-charge of opening and locking the gates of a local cemetery. Deputy prosecutor Frederic Bariseau said the suspect surrendered himself to police at the scene. The officials said the suspect was holding a "cutter" in his hand when he was apprehended by them.
Investigations revealed the suspect was just 18 years old. The boy killed the mayor to avenge his father’s death, who killed himself in 2015 after losing his job as a local council employee.
The mayor’s death shocked the entire country. The Prime Minister too expressed his horror at the brutal killing.
"It was with alarm and sadness that I learned of Alfred Gadenne's brutal death. All my thoughts go to his family and friends," Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted at the time.
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