Blue Ridge Mountain Death

"SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, VA - Franklin County Sheriff's deputies found a Carilion Clinic professor dead Sunday after an apparent murder-suicide near Smith Mountain Lake.

"Mary Elizabeth Vogel, 61, was found in a home in the Scruggs area near the lake, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said Monday in a news release.

"Deputies also found a dead male at the home that the news release described as a suspect. His name was not released because his family had not yet been notified, the release said.

"`Preliminary investigation indicates Vogel was the victim of a murder-suicide conducted by the male suspect` in their residence, the release said.

"A friend of Vogel went to the home in the 100 block of Crawford Road -- a short distance from the water -- on Sunday because Vogel and the suspect did not show up for a dinner scheduled for Saturday, the release said.

"Vogel's friend called authorities. When deputies arrived, the friend told them two people were dead inside.

"According to the news release, the suspect apparently shot Vogel several times with a handgun before shooting himself with the same weapon."

More at The Roanoke Times...