A 70-year-old woman has been found reportedly strangled to death with a belt and then buried in concrete in her basement.
The body of Lynn Gay Keene was found by authorities at her home in Linville Falls, North Carolina, after her family had not heard from her since June 14, according to Avery County Sheriff Kevin Frye.
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Detectives searched her home at the time and found it secured but her vehicle, a 2000 Lincoln Town Car, was missing.
Cherokee police reported Monday Keene’s vehicle has been found abandoned on Blue Wing Road in North Carolina with the keys under the driver’s seat, according to the release.
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The discovery prompted Avery County Sheriff’s Office detectives to obtain a search warrant for Keene’s home.
Authorities, including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and its crime team, searched the home and discovered human remains entombed in concrete in the basement.
Keene was identified through an autopsy and dental records, Avery Country Sheriff Kevin Frye said in the release.
The autopsy concluded Keene’s cause of death was a homicide.
HEAD TRAUMA AND STRANGLED WITH BELT
Keene had blunt force trauma to her head and was strangled with a belt, according to law enforcement officials.
The Avery County Sheriff’s Department and SBI agents had been searching for Elizabeth Freeman, 53, of South Carolina, who may also be using the name Elizabeth Carserino.
Freeman had been hired as Keene's live-in caretaker.
On Friday night, Freeman was found in a western North Carolina hospital, diagnosed with a drug issue.
She is also wanted on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, financial card theft, and identity theft, police said.
As investigators searched for Freeman, they found surveillance video at a store in Marion, NC, about 20 miles south of Linville Falls, that showed the caretaker driving Keene’s car and using one of her bank cards.
Law enforcement officials also believe another person or persons may be involved in Keene’s murder.
Freeman has not been arrested for those warrants due to her currently being treated for the drug-related issue, HCPress reported.
Keene’s neighbor and family friend, John Thompson, told NBC News he used to get birthday cards from Keene every July 19 but hadn’t received one last month.
Thompson said she was a generous neighbor who loved listening to Prince and the Grateful Dead.
He said her son died during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and her husband died about two years ago.
Keene had cared for her mother until she passed away last year, Thompson said.
"That's a lot for one person to take on," he added. "It's just ... it's not fair. Nobody should have to go through that."
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