Hunt on for Clues in Slaying of Wife of Multimillionaire McDonald's Franchise Owner
Lois Colley, 83, was found dead at her New York home.
— -- New York State Police are trying to solve what they call a “shocking and disturbing” crime after the matriarch of a prominent New York family was found slain.
Lois Colley, 83, the wife of multimillionaire Eugene Colley, who owns more than 100 McDonald's restaurants, one of the biggest McDonald’s franchises in the country, was found dead Monday.
Police responded to a 911 call made by a caretaker at the Colleys' 300-acre hilltop estate in North Salem, N.Y., just after 5 p.m., when he discovered her body.
"She was found in the laundry room just outside the garage; she was laying on the floor," Lt. Paul DeQuarto of the New York State Police said at a news conference Tuesday.
Authorities say the cause of death of Colley, a mother of four sons, was blunt-force trauma and there was no sign of a forced entry.
Investigators were searching the woods Tuesday for a possible weapon and said the only item missing from the Colley’s home was a small fire extinguisher.
New York State Police said they do not have any suspects at this time. Police also said that Colley's husband, Eugene, is not a suspect.
A friend of Colley paid tribute to her, calling her a pillar of the community.
“They were very much involved in a lot of things in town,” Warren Lucas said of the Colleys. “Very, very nice lady, any time you met her she always had a kiss for you, my heart goes out to the Colley family."