Body found amid signs of a home break-in. It was a murder, NC sheriff says

A homeowner found dead during a welfare check was likely murdered while confronting a home intruder, according to investigators in North Carolina.

The victim is identified as Stephen James Heath in court documents, which report the killing was done on March 4 with “malice aforethought.”

His body was discovered March 6, when police were called to a home in the 3000 block of Sell Road near Winston-Salem, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

“Upon arrival, deputies attempted to make contact with the homeowner and began noticing signs that suggested a possible break-in,” the sheriff’s office said in a March 19 news release.

“Through the use of the latest technologies and the FCSO Real Time Intelligence Center, FCSO investigators were able to identify a suspect.”

David Lee Heath II, 27, was arrested March 17 and charged with murder in the case, the sheriff’s office said. He lives in Lexington, about a 25-mile drive southeast of the crime scene.

Details of how and why the victim was killed have not been released. Investigators have also not said if the victim and suspect knew each other.

Winston Salem is an 80-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte.