Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Alabama Murder Suspect Found Dead Near Burned Home

   A man who was at the center of a manhunt in the northern counties of Alabama Tuesday afternoon was reportedly found dead in a wooded area near his burned, Morgan County home.

   Residents of North Alabama and Southern Tennessee had been asked Tuesday morning to be on the alert for a man wanted for questioning in connection with a quadruple homicide reported just across the state line in neighboring Lauderdale County, Alabama.

   Law enforcement officials received the call regarding the murders at 7195 Lauderdale County Road 73, shortly after 7:30 a.m.

   Although at press time the names of the victims had not been released, and few details, some indicated that two women killed included the estranged wife of suspect Kevin Lee Garner of Morgan County, Alabama, and her sister, the couple’s sixteen-year-old daughter along with her eleven-year-old male cousin.

   Garner and wife Tammy were slated to appear for divorce proceedings in a Morgan County courtroom Wednesday morning. Officials indicate the couple’s home burned overnight Monday and that Tammy Garner’s Subaru Legacy was also found burned.

   Officials indicate that the body of Kevin Garner was located around 2:30 p.m. in a wooded area near the couple’s home.

   The case resulted in schools throughout the area, including those in Lawrence County, implementing previously planned safety protocols Tuesday, to ensure that no unauthorized individuals entered school grounds.

   In addition to Morgan and Lauderdale County law enforcement agencies, officials with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshall’s Service have also joined the investigation.

   Additional details are expected to be released soon.