Crime & Public Safety

Son finds elderly mom stabbed to death

2 people were found stabbed to death at a northwest Atlanta home. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)
2 people were found stabbed to death at a northwest Atlanta home. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)
By Raisa Habersham
May 27, 2016

An 89-year-old woman was stabbed to death in her northwest Atlanta home Friday morning, Atlanta police said.

Sallie Stokes was found dead in her home by her son, police said. A man also was found stabbed, but he has not been identified.

Stokes’ son told Channel 2 Action News he discovered his mom in the dining room. A trail of blood led him to the bathroom where the man was found.

Stokes was an educator in the Collier Heights neighborhood, Channel 2 Action News reported. Stokes is said to have been one of the first to move into her home on Baker Road and had lived there since the mid-1950s.

Guy Broughton, Stokes’ neighbor for more than 50 years, told the news station he would check in on her to make sure she was OK.

“I would go check on her on a regular basis,” he said, “I always go check on her to make sure she was alright.”

Police haven’t provided many details about the stabbings, but Stokes’ son thinks she fought her attacker and stabbed him before he stabbed her.

Police told the station there were no signs of forced entry and are not calling it a murder suicide.

“We do not believe we are looking for any additional persons at this time,” Atlanta police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

About the Author

Raisa Habersham is the Intown Atlanta hyperlocal reporter for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

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