asphyxiationBy

DON McCRAINE

The Natchez Democrat

WOODVILLE &045;&045; An autopsy revealed a Wilkinson County woman found slain in her home last week was asphyxiated, Wilkinson County Coroner Travis Sharp said Monday.

Jeroldyne Carpenter’s body was discovered at noon Thursday by the operator of a convenience store Carpenter owned next door to her home in the Doloroso community.

&uot;The manner of her death was homicide, and the cause of her death was asphyxiation,&uot; Sharp said.

Deputies responding to a 911 call from the store operator found Carpenter, 61, with her hands bound with cord and a bed covering over her head, according to Wilkinson County Sheriff Reginald Jackson.

At the scene Thursday night, Jackson said his department had no suspects but was following several leads. Attempts to reach Jackson at his office on Monday were unsuccessful.

Sharp said the autopsy showed Carpenter was alive when her hands were bound.

&uot;There was no other trauma to her body, and it did not appear that she had been sexually assaulted,&uot; Sharp said.

However, Sharp said lab tests were ordered to conclusively rule out sexual assault. He said the results of those tests could take up to two weeks.

The autopsy was performed Sunday by Dr. Steven Haynes, a forensic pathologist at the Mississippi Mortuary Service in Pearl, Sharp said.

Agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Mississippi Crime Lab assisted in the investigation.