MORGANTON, NC — An elderly man murdered in Burke County, then buried in a shallow grave outside his own house. Β Investigators are trying to figure out who killed him and why.
Family members found blood inside the 74-year-old’s home on Rose Carswell Road at Jenkins Road in Morganton and called police. Β The Burke County Sheriff’s Office are not releasing a possible motive or who killed 74-year-old John Clarke.
Clarke’s family, who live a few hundred feet from his house on Rose Carswell Road went over to check on him Thursday when they noticed there were no lights on. Β We’re told they found blood trails in the kitchen and on the back porch. Β That led them to the back yard, where they found a mound of dirt and a hole in the ground, with Clarke’s body buried inside.
The State Bureau of Investigation and Burke County Sheriff’s Office spent the day going door-to-door interviewing neighbors to find out if anyone saw someone digging in the backyard.
Family members say they last saw Clarke alive on Wednesday around 6pm. Β They tell WCCB he was a sweet man who never bothered anyone, and they don’t know why someone would do this.
