Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 6, 1990 TAG: 9003061883
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Marie A. Howard, 41, of Ferncliff Apartments, was found lying face-down in an alley off the 1400 block of Orange Avenue.
She had no visible wounds, but "She had all the signs that you find with strangulation," said William Massello, the assistant chief medical examiner for Western Virginia.
When Howard's body was discovered about 9:54 a.m. Saturday, her clothes were disheveled as though she had been in a scuffle, police said. There were no signs of a struggle in the immediate area, though.
Police have determined that Howard was at a Northwest Roanoke nightspot the night before she was found.
Authorities have interviewed several men who were with Howard that night, but police declined to say if their investigation has led them to any suspects.
A male companion dropped Howard off on Melrose Avenue, not far from were her body was found, about 1 a.m. Saturday, police said.
None of the neighbors reported hearing a disturbance near the alley where Howard's body was found.
Neighbors said Howard, a secretary with two daughters in college, lived alone.
by CNB