L family members a man and a woman He was found dead inside their residence Sunday morning and had not yet been notified as of Monday afternoon as Marion County detectives continued their investigation.
Sheriff’s deputies were outside the crime scene Monday while technicians and investigators collected evidence. Little information was released to the press or public.
The previous day, deputies were called to a home in the Whispering Sands area, off Southeast 52nd Street and Baseline Road. Inside they discovered a man and a woman shot dead.
These are the 14th and 15th homicides so far this year in Marion County. That equates to 2022’s total, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The neighborhood was quiet Monday as some motorists slowed down, looked at the crime scene and then continued driving.
Residents either refused to talk or quickly told a Star-Banner reporter they didn’t know who lived there, hadn’t heard anything or it didn’t concern them.
But the two women sitting in the parking lot of a duplex were not shy and spoke frankly to the news reporters gathered around them.
One of them, Rose Boyles, said that four people occupied the residence where the bodies were found. Of the four, two are permanent residents: the mother and her stepson. The woman uses a wheelchair, Boyles said.
Several people visit the apartment, and vehicles often come and go, Boyles said.
She said that the person who found the two bodies was afraid because it was the first time he had seen a dead person.
Boyles said the apartment owner recently called deputies to check the property. She also said she gave deputies her loop camera videos to help them catch the person or people responsible for the murders.
Boyles said she was leaving because “I can’t take this anymore.”
Other residents
Another woman, who requested that her name not be used for security reasons, said that the neighborhood is usually quiet. She said she commutes to and from work and doesn’t know many neighbors.
A second woman said she wanted to move because she felt unsafe. She heard gunshots and saw children running unattended. Homeless people camped nearby come into the community and harass its neighbors. She suspects drug activity is going on, and she’s tired of seeing vehicles driving through the yards.
She said the residences are four-bedroom apartments with one or two attached bedrooms.
“Something needs to be done here,” the second woman said.
When she moved to Whispering Sands, she paid $700 a month for rent, Boyles said. Now, two and a half years later, she pays more than $1,000, including her service dog. She said every time the rent increases, so does the security deposit.
Arrest of the alleged killer: The man accused of a stabbing death in April is now in custody
The Star-Banner has reported on various crimes that have occurred at Whispering Sands.
For example, in 2021, Two events They were hit by gunfire in the neighborhood. Three years earlier, a young man was injured in a drive-by shooting. In 2017, A Pizza delivery man He was shot after making a delivery in the neighborhood.
Anyone with information about the recent shooting can contact Detective Joseph Miller at (352) 369-6806. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-STOP and include 23-54 in your tip, or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on the Ocala Star-Banner: The names of two people who were found shot dead inside the house have not yet been revealed
