Bodies in burned home died by homicide, NC sheriff says. Both were 80 years old

Autopsies have determined a man and woman found dead in a burned home were the victims in a double homicide, according to investigators in western North Carolina.

Details of how Robert Louis Peck, 80 and Wendy Susan Peck, 80, were killed have not been released.

Their bodies were discovered around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 24, at a home near Saluda, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 28 news release.

“Emergency responders were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the West Fork Creek Road,” the sheriff’s office said. “During the subsequent investigation, two individuals were located deceased inside the residence.”

The sheriff’s office is partnering with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and N.C. State Bureau of Investigation on the investigation, officials said.

“I want our residents to hear directly from me that we have committed significant resources to this investigation,” Polk County Sheriff Tim Wright said in the release.

“Our deputies have maintained a continuous presence in the area since Sunday evening, and that presence will remain visible and active in the days ahead. ... I am asking the public to remain alert and trust your instincts. If you saw something, heard something, or know something, please come forward.”

Saluda is about a 95-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.