Police say someone called 911 to report a foul smell behind a house on the corner of Elliott and N. Roxboro streets. When officers searched the property, they found the body of 30-year-old Johnny Scurlock.
Scurlock was found 15 feet away from the house in some overgrown kudzu.
Officers spent most of Tuesday afternoon collecting evidence and taking pictures of the crime scene.
Scurlock lived in Durham and was identified through dental records. Police say they are trying to identify the body.
"The first thing we need to do is find out who this person is," says Lt. Ed Sarvis of the Durham Police Department. "Right now, we don't know the race, sex or anything about this."
The body was taken to the medical examiner in Chapel Hill for an autopsy. Since the body was so badly decomposed, police do not have any fingerprints or composites to work with. They are using dental records in hopes of identifying the body.
Right now, the police are not working any missing persons case that fits the description of the body. They are now consulting with other counties and cities. -->
The Durham Police Department is treating the case as a homicide investigation. It is the 25th murder in Durham this year.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
