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Man's Body Found at Car Lot: Durham Police Suspect Homicide

Posted on: Saturday, 13 May 2006, 06:03 CDT

By Samiha Khanna, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

May 13--DURHAM -- An elderly man was found dead inside a northern Durham business early Friday. Durham police think it was a homicide but did not release the cause of the man's death.

The man, identified as James Morris, 77, of Mebane, was discovered about 9:30 a.m. when a part-time employee went into the office at Growing Motors, a used-car sales lot at 4416 N. Roxboro St., said Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael.

Michael said Morris was seen alive at his business at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The employee called for help, and police sealed off the area as a crime scene. Soon, traffic at North Duke and North Roxboro streets had backed up, and several men had congregated in adjacent gravel parking lots, wondering whether the victim was their friend, the man who owned the business.

One of the cars owned by the business also was missing, Michael said. Officers were combing the city Friday for a two-door, white 1990 Oldsmobile Toronado. The missing car has a burgundy leather interior and possibly has dealer plates that bear these numbers ID016052, ID016054 or ID016055, according to a police news release.

The signs outside the business indicate the operation is at least 20 years old. Shiny used cars are lined up in a row facing the street, their selling points scrawled across their windshields.

"Drives x-x-nice," one said.

Lights dim

Gilda Woodlon, owner of Gilda's Hair & Accessories, said she last saw Morris about 5 p.m. Thursday before Woodlon left work about 10 p.m., and it appeared he had gone home.

The lights were dim inside the white one-story bungalow that houses the business office. The porch light was glowing, but Morris always left it on at night, Woodlon said.

"He really liked what he was doing, it kept him going," Woodlon said, recalling conversations she had once had with the owner of Growing Motors. "He said, 'My daughter wants me to stop, but I enjoy selling cars.' "

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The News & Observer

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