Florene Duke could have been anyone’s grandmother. Kind and giving, the 75-year-old would help anyone who asked, her family said.
“If she had $10, she’d give you $5 of it,” a grandson, Chris Duke, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But a day after Florene Duke was found tied up and dead inside her Douglasville apartment, police continued to seek clues in the death of the woman called "Nanny."
There were no signs of forced entry into Florene Duke’s Countryside Manor apartment, Douglasville police Chief Chris Womack said Tuesday. And there were no obvious signs of trauma to her body, Coroner Randy Daniel said.
But when a relative couldn’t reach the woman by phone, she drove to Duke’s apartment Monday evening, according to police. Inside, she made the gruesome discovery. Florene Duke had been hog-tied and was dead.
Investigators now await the results of an autopsy, set for Wednesday afternoon at the GBI Crime Lab.
Detectives remained at the Selman Drive complex Tuesday, reviewing the crime scene for additional evidence, Womack said. Although Duke lived alone, she sometimes opened up her apartment to others in need of a place to stay, Womack said.
“She would open her door to anyone,” Chris Duke said. “Anyone.”
Though she was in the early stages of dementia, Florene Duke wanted to take care of herself and live in her apartment, her grandson said. She walked her small Yorkie a couple of times a day, but would otherwise spend her time inside, watching television. Two TV sets were among the items missing from the apartment, police said.
“Why would someone do this to my grandmama,” Chris Duke said. “My grandmama wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Anyone with information to assist in the investigation is asked to contact Douglasville police.
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