Sheriff Eddie Cathey speaks about members of a Union County, North
Carolina, family who were found dead in two locations.
Saturday, October 30, 2004 Posted: 10:28 AM EDT (1428 GMT)
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Sheriff Eddie Cathey speaks about members of a Union County, North
Carolina, family who were found dead in two locations.
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MARSHVILLE, North Carolina (AP) -- A man who was charged this month with raping and kidnapping his estranged wife went house to house and fatally shot her and three family members before killing himself, authorities said.
The body of David Edward Wyzanowski, 37, and his wife, Michelle, 31, were found inside a burning house Thursday after a passer-by saw smoke coming from the home, Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said. A 22-caliber rifle was found with the bodies.
Several hours later, investigators went to a mobile home 10 miles away where relatives lived and found the bodies of three men.
The sheriff said authorities are not searching for a suspect.
"We are confident we are not looking for anybody," he said. "We're looking at it that he (Wyzanowski) is the basis for all of this."
The Wyzanowskis were separated, and she had been living with her father. She had charged her husband October 12 with rape and kidnapping, but he was released on $50,000 bond, Cathey said.
She later received a protective order, which Wyzanowski violated Tuesday by sending her text messages from his cell phone. He was released a day later on $1,000 bond.
The judge who set a $1,000 bond said he didn't know of pending rape and kidnapping charges and would have made the bail higher if he had.
"I would not have knowingly set a bond of that nature knowing what I know now," Judge Kevin Bridges told the Charlotte Observer. He said he knew only of minor traffic violations.
Authorities believe the other three victims are Michelle Wyzanowski's father, Ronald Eugene Faulk, 52, and her brother, Ronnie Joe Deese, 19. The third victim, a young man, was believed to be another family member, the sheriff said.
Michelle Wyzanowski's children were found unharmed in an outbuilding of the family home, Cathey said. The boy and three girls were being cared for by social workers.
Marshville is about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte.