Roanoke Rapids, N.C. — The Halifax County Sheriff's Office is searching for a suspect wanted in connection with the slaying of a homeowner in Roanoke Rapids Sunday.

Deputies Emmerson Carroll and Chris High responded to reports of an assault at a home on Mobley Street shortly after 7 a.m., said Lt. B.L. Martin. They found a 48-year-old man who was unresponsive.

The victim's identity has not been released.

Warrants have been issued against Richard Charles Demello, 44, who knew the victim.

Authorities believe that Demello is heading north, possibly to Rhode Island, Martin said. The suspect also has ties to Harnett County and Missouri.

He is believed to be driving a blue 1998 Plymouth Neon with a spoiler, possibly with North Carolina license plate YWZ-2442.

Anyone with information about Demello's whereabouts should call the Halifax County Sheriff's Office at 252-583-8201 or Halifax County Crime Stoppers at 252-583-4444.

Demello was released from prison in January after serving 2½ years for a probation violation, according to state Department of Correction records. That probation stemmed from convictions on nine counts of felony breaking-and-entering in Harnett County. He also served a 10-month sentence for 2005 convictions for larceny over $1,000 and breaking-and-entering.