Pet Duck Leads To Discovery Of Woman's Body Under Home; Suspects Charged With Murder
By Hannah Mackenzie
Article / Archive [ https://archive.ph/002oi ]
Pet duck leads to discovery of woman’s body under home; suspects charged with murder. (photo by Ravi Singh via Unsplash)
Buncombe County investigators say a pet duck helped locate the body of a murdered woman on April 14, 2022, at a home in Candler.
Angela Wamsley and Mark Barnes are charged with murdering Wamsley’s grandmother, Nellie Sullivan. Sullivan, in her 90’s, was determined to be missing in 2020, according to Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mark Walker, with the Major Case Unit.
“It became pretty apparent almost immediately that Miss Sullivan had disappeared under what can be said suspicious circumstances,” Walker said.
APRIL 15, 2022 - Mark Barnes, left, and Angela Wamsley, right, have been in custody of Buncombe County Sheriff's Office since December 2020 when they were both arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including felony concealing a death -- the death of Wamsley's grandmother, Nellie Sullivan. (Photos courtesy of Buncombe County Sheriff's Office)
Walker said Wamsley and Barnes, who were already in jail, were previously charged, in mid-December 2020, with concealing a death in connection to the case, but investigators didn’t find Sullivan’s body until mid-April of 2022. According to Walker, years of search warrants and state and federal assistance lead nowhere.
“Mark [Barnes] actually sent us on a wild goose chase which resulted in us digging for several days in a site that he knew she was not located at,” Walker said.
That goose chase eventually ended, thanks to the pet duck.
Investigators said they believe Sullivan was murdered at a different location, then brought to the trailer.
“Her remains have been sent to an anthropologist for further examination just so we can try to nail down exactly how long she’s been deceased,” Walker added. “We do know it was multiple years.”
According to Walker, Wamsley and Barnes concealed the body then continued to collect Sullivan’s social security and retirement benefits. He said they also filled her prescriptions.
APRIL 14, 2022 - According to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, deputies found decomposing remains while searching areas around a home off Beady Eyed Lane in Candler. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
“I would like to say that I’m never surprised anymore, but this case -- it was surprising,” Walker said.
The veteran investigator admitted he was shocked by the disregard for human life: An aging grandmother, suffering from health issues, including dementia.
“Instead of receiving the care she needed from those that are supposed to love her the most, she received the exact opposite in the worst possible way,” Walker said.
Sullivan’s official cause of death has not yet been released by the medical examiner, as the investigation is still underway.
Now, part of me wants to ask why cadaver dogs didn't find the body first back in 2020, since they'd apparently already searched the area many times. But I won't ask, because I don't wanna steal the duck's thunder.
Instead, I'll ask why tf can't the duck get a medal? You give 'em to doggos all the time, why not a duck? Is it cause he's feathered not furred?
By Hannah Mackenzie
Article / Archive [ https://archive.ph/002oi ]
Pet duck leads to discovery of woman’s body under home; suspects charged with murder. (photo by Ravi Singh via Unsplash)
Buncombe County investigators say a pet duck helped locate the body of a murdered woman on April 14, 2022, at a home in Candler.
Angela Wamsley and Mark Barnes are charged with murdering Wamsley’s grandmother, Nellie Sullivan. Sullivan, in her 90’s, was determined to be missing in 2020, according to Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mark Walker, with the Major Case Unit.
“It became pretty apparent almost immediately that Miss Sullivan had disappeared under what can be said suspicious circumstances,” Walker said.
APRIL 15, 2022 - Mark Barnes, left, and Angela Wamsley, right, have been in custody of Buncombe County Sheriff's Office since December 2020 when they were both arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including felony concealing a death -- the death of Wamsley's grandmother, Nellie Sullivan. (Photos courtesy of Buncombe County Sheriff's Office)
Walker said Wamsley and Barnes, who were already in jail, were previously charged, in mid-December 2020, with concealing a death in connection to the case, but investigators didn’t find Sullivan’s body until mid-April of 2022. According to Walker, years of search warrants and state and federal assistance lead nowhere.
“Mark [Barnes] actually sent us on a wild goose chase which resulted in us digging for several days in a site that he knew she was not located at,” Walker said.
That goose chase eventually ended, thanks to the pet duck.
“Apparently, the duck ran underneath the trailer at 11 Beady Eyed Lane, and as they were chasing after their pet duck, they ran across the container that Nellie Sullivan was located in,” Walker said. “If I could give that duck a medal, I would.”
Investigators said they believe Sullivan was murdered at a different location, then brought to the trailer.
“Her remains have been sent to an anthropologist for further examination just so we can try to nail down exactly how long she’s been deceased,” Walker added. “We do know it was multiple years.”
According to Walker, Wamsley and Barnes concealed the body then continued to collect Sullivan’s social security and retirement benefits. He said they also filled her prescriptions.
APRIL 14, 2022 - According to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, deputies found decomposing remains while searching areas around a home off Beady Eyed Lane in Candler. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
“I would like to say that I’m never surprised anymore, but this case -- it was surprising,” Walker said.
The veteran investigator admitted he was shocked by the disregard for human life: An aging grandmother, suffering from health issues, including dementia.
“Instead of receiving the care she needed from those that are supposed to love her the most, she received the exact opposite in the worst possible way,” Walker said.
Sullivan’s official cause of death has not yet been released by the medical examiner, as the investigation is still underway.
Now, part of me wants to ask why cadaver dogs didn't find the body first back in 2020, since they'd apparently already searched the area many times. But I won't ask, because I don't wanna steal the duck's thunder.
Instead, I'll ask why tf can't the duck get a medal? You give 'em to doggos all the time, why not a duck? Is it cause he's feathered not furred?
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