Murder-suicide: Boyfriend lived with victim’s body for days, her family says

By Hannah Mackenzie

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    BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspected murder-suicide that was discovered Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

According to BCSO, it happened at a house on Cutshaw Drive. The identities of those involved have not been released, but BCSO public affairs director Aaron Sarver said the deceased were a couple who lived together at the home.

“We believe the male partner shot the female partner and took his own life,” Sarver said.

On Wednesday, crime scene investigators set up a tent around a car parked in the driveway. Sarver said a family member of one of the deceased made the grim discovery earlier that morning.

“He told me that he found the boy in the car and then he went in and found her in the house,” neighbor, Carolyn Camby said.

Camby, who has lived on Cutshaw Drive for 50 years, said she knows most of her neighbors.

“She was a sweet girl, but I don’t know a thing in the world about the boy,” Camby said.

According to family of the female decedent, she was 23. She loved making jewelry, polishing rocks and caring for her cats and chickens. The family did not want to speak on camera but told News 13’s Hannah Mackenzie they think she was killed by her boyfriend on Sunday. On Monday, they said he came over to ask them if they heard a gunshot the night before. They said he also told them she was staying inside because she had a migraine.

Sarver did not confirm those timeline details.

“I think speculating in that manner would be premature,” Sarver said. “I think we want to see what the forensics brings back and what the medical examiner is able to determine, and, of course, autopsy and toxicology reports will give us a more definitive timeline.”

According to Sarver, there is no recorded history of domestic violence between the two, leaving friends and family with more questions than answers.

“She’s always been a nice person. She’d come over here and talk to me and she was kind. She was an animal lover; she was a pretty girl,” Camby said. “It’s sad that her life has to go so short, because she didn’t bother nobody. She didn’t deserve it.”

As far as a motive, Sarver said detectives are still investigating. He said they are combing through evidence, including the couples’ cellphones.

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