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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 19, 1993                   TAG: 9302190151
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE                                LENGTH: Short

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PAIR'S BODIES FOUND IN RANSACKED HOUSE

The bodies of a husband and wife were found Thursday inside a house that authorities said had been ransacked.

James and Evelyn Merritt, each in their 70s, were found dead in their living room shortly after 1 p.m., police Lt. Dave Edwards said.

Authorities were treating the case as a double homicide, he said.

Edwards said authorities went to the house Thursday afternoon after receiving a call from the couple's daughter, who lives in Georgia. A neighbor had called the daughter to express concern that the Merritts had not been seen in several days.

Investigator Gary Dove said it appeared an intruder had been inside the house, in the 200 block of College Street. Investigators were still at the crime scene Thursday night, he said.

Edwards declined to release information on how the couple died. Police had no suspects.

Keywords:
FATALITY

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