Local & State Headlines

No suspects yet in slaying

• A woman found dead at her home Tuesday may have died from being cut, police say.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — As the body of a 67-year-old Albany woman makes the trip to Atlanta for an autopsy today, police officials say they’re interviewing several “persons of interest” in the case.

The body of Susie Hollingsworth was discovered Tuesday night by her son at her home at 202 N. Mock Road, police officials said. Family members had been unable to contact Hollingsworth for several days before the discovery was made.

Investigative supervisor Capt. Charlie Poole said during a Wednesday news conference that detectives were in the process of interviewing several persons of interest regarding the murder, but that no suspect has been named.

“The investigators are actively interviewing several people — persons of interest — in this particular incident, and we do anticipate, at some point, closure in this particular case,” Poole said.

Although an autopsy hasn’t been conducted and investigators haven’t pinpointed the cause of death, Poole said Wednesday that Hollingsworth had been cut.

Police reports indicate that EMTs were called out to the house around 9:10 p.m. and found the victim’s body lying face up on the living room floor, wearing a shirt and blue jeans and covered from the neck down with a blanket.

Upon arrival, police spoke with Hollingsworth’s son, 36-year-old Hubert Merritt Jr., who told them that he came over to the house to check on his mother and broke into the home when he couldn’t get an answer at the door, police reports indicate.

Merritt told officers that upon entry to the home, he saw his mother lying on the floor, covered from head to toe with a blanket. At that point, Merritt told police, he lifted the blanket and saw it was his mother and covered her back up, according to the police documents.

Poole said Wednesday that family members last had contact with Hollingsworth Saturday and that investigators will have to wait until her autopsy — scheduled for today — to determine a time of death.

The report says that there was dried blood on her body and on the carpet near her head. Poole also said that the house was in a minor state of disarray, but that there didn’t appear to be any signs of a struggle.

Fire officials said Hollingsworth was always friendly to firefighters at the department’s station near her home and that she always made it a point to say “hey” to them.

Writing found on the outside of Hollingsworth’s home could be an indicator of police assertions that she suffered from a form of mental illness. Police were unaware of any employment currently held by the victim when she died.

Poole said that despite ongoing interviews, a thorough and fluid investigation is expected into the city’s fifth homicide of the year.

“Things can change during the course of an investigation,” Poole said. “Nothing is etched in stone at this point; everybody is a suspect at this time. Until we get a suspect in custody, we’re not ruling out anybody.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Albany Crimestoppers at 436-TIPS.

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