COUPLE MAY HAVE BEEN LEFT TO DIE

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

DATE: SUNDAY, February 21, 1993                   TAG: 9302210101
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
COUPLE MAY HAVE BEEN LEFT TO DIE
An elderly couple discovered bound together with duct tape in their Martinsville home may have been left to die slowly from dehydration or exposure, authorities said Saturday.
James and Evelyn Merritt had been dead for at least six days when they were found Thursday afternoon on the living room floor of their College Street home, according to preliminary autopsy reports.
But after completing autopsies on Saturday, a medical examiner could not determine the exact cause of death.
Lt. Dave Edwards of the Martinsville Police Department said the autopsies found that the Merritts could have died one of three ways: from exposure to freezing temperatures, by asphyxiation, or from dehydration caused by lack of food and water.
Because no external wounds were found on the bodies, one theory being considered is that an intruder tied the Merritts up and left them to die.
"Or they could have been tied up and left to live," Edwards said. "We don't know what was going on in the [assailant's] mind."
Because the home was ransacked, police suspect robbery as a motive. But other than that, Edwards said, there were few leads Saturday.
Medical examiners in Roanoke hope to conduct additional tests this week that may pinpoint the cause of death, he said. Although the autopsies showed the Merritts had been dead for nearly a week when they were found, it was unclear how long it took them to die after being wrapped up and bound together in duct tape.
James Merritt, 78, and his 75-year-old wife, Evelyn, usually kept to themselves, so neighbors were not immediately suspicious when there was no sign of activity from 206 College St. for several days last week.
A neighbor eventually called the Merritts' daughter in Georgia to see if she had heard from them. The daughter asked police to check the house, and that's when the bodies were discovered.
The Merritts, both retired factory workers, had lived in the red-roofed, white frame house on College Street for more than 40 years.
They remained a fixture in the neighborhood as it went from a quiet residential street to a place also known for nearby drug dealing.
Keywords:
FATALITY

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB