Bodies Found Under Tree

"JEFFERSON, NC - Shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, March 18, Ashe County law enforcement officials were summoned to a house off Glenn Bare Road in Jefferson. Calls went out at first reporting that an unidentified man had shot his wife, and were quickly followed by reports that the man had also shot himself.

"As residents of the small cul-de-sac peered curiously from behind windows and front porches, law enforcement officers from the Ashe County Sheriff's Department and the North Carolina Highway Patrol quickly secured the scene to ensure the safety of first-responders from Blue Ridge Medical Transport.

"Emergency personnel found the bodies of man and woman together beneath a tree over an embankment in the home's side yard, both dead of apparent gunshot wounds. After EMS personnel completed their assessments the bodies were shrouded until they could be transported to Ashe Memorial Hospital.

"Sheriff James Williams said after initial investigation of the scene that it `appeared to be a case of murder-suicide,` but that specific details would not be available until Friday morning to allow for a through investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident.

"Recovered at the scene next to the bodies were a rifle, of unidentified caliber, and several shell casings."

Source: Ashe Mountain Times...