Indiana Murder of Five: Neighbors Unsure if Suspect on Loose
Neighbors are unsure whether a suspect has been apprehended.
Sept. 26, 2011— -- Worried neighbors in a rural Indiana town where five people were killed said today that they have not been told anything by police, especially whether a suspect has been identified or if a killer is on the loose.
Authorities in Franklin County, Ind., are releasing few details about the five people who were found dead, with possible gun shot wounds, at two homes in the town of Laurel.
"We live a couple of doors down, and you'd think they'd come around and tell us to be careful of the woods and look in your barn, but nothing. You'd think they'd send a detective around knocking on doors, but he didn't come here," said John Hammons, who lives on the same road where the five people were killed.
The bodies were found Sunday after police got a report of a child wandering along a road. They interviewed the child and neighbors, which led them to a home where a dead man was found inside a recreational vehicle. Police then found the other four bodies across the street.
Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Indiana State Police told the AP that some of the victims had gunshot wounds, or what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
He told ABC News today that police are still looking for a suspect or suspects, and that they are not saying whether they believe any of the deceased were responsible for the deaths.
Evelyn Renfro, who lives nearby, told the AP that her 43-year-old nephew, Henry Smith, was killed. She said she heard shots ring out around noon Sunday.
Five People Found Dead in Indiana Town
"Nobody went out because they were loading the cattle here and they didn't pay no attention to that," Renfro said.
She and her grandson, Ryan Renfro, said there had been some drug dealings in the normally quiet neighborhood. She said her nephew was not a member of the family involved in the killings.
Hammons said he had heard from neighbors that his 50-year-old male neighbor was killed, along with the man's wife and daughter. The man's granddaughter, a toddler, is reportedly the child that police said was found walking along a highway, which led to the investigation and discovery of the murders.
"He was a pretty good old guy, close to 50. I guess it was him who got killed," Hammons said.
Hammons said he did not know if there was a suspect or motive, or whether anyone had been apprehended.
Another neighbor who declined to give her name said that the news organizations knew more than she did.
"I've seen too many reporters out here. Everybody knows everything more than I do," she said.
Police said that the names of the victims would be released following autopsies today in Indianapolis and the notification of family members.
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