Suspect Commits Suicide at Lake

Updated 4 p.m.

The suspect in a double homicide in Hoke County killed himself at the Boys and Girls Home Chapel at Lake Waccamaw late Monday.

The victims in the case have been identified by Red Springs Police as Ted and Joann Chavis. They previously fostered children, according to local sources.

Sheriff Bill Rogers said deputies found the suspect’s vehicle at Dale’s Seafood, and began searching the area with the assistance of other agencies. Lake Waccamaw Police, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office, the Whiteville Fire Department Drone Team, and the SBI all took part in the manhunt.

Rogers said in a press release that the CCSO was called to the lake to assist Lake Waccamaw Police and HCSO after the suspect’s vehicle was discovered.

“Officers began clearing the occupied buildings before moving to the unoccupied areas of campus,” Rogers said. “During this process, law enforcement located the suspect, who at that point took their own life.”

Medical personnel immediately began treating the suspect, Rogers said, but he was pronounced dead at Columbus Regional.

The State Bureau of Investigation is handling the case, at the request of the Lake Police.

Hoke County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home in the 100 block of Cope Road, near the Robeson county line, around 6 p.m., HCSO said in asocial media post. The original call involved a cardiac arrest, but deputies found two “unresponsive individuals” at the home.  HCSO said Red Springs Police is working with detectives and the SBI on the killings.

The home went on lockdown during the search, BGHNC spokesperson Amanda Irwin said, and no residents or staff were injured.

“Standard lockdown procedures were followed, and all Boys and Girls Homes youth and staff members are safe,” Irwin said in a statement. “The incident is under active investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation. Thank you to local law enforcement including the Columbus County Sheriff’s Department and Lake Waccamaw Police, Fire and Rescue for keeping our staff and, most importantly, our youth safe.”

The suspect’s name was not released because he was a juvenile, Rogers said.

Chad Flowers of the SBI said his agency is investigating the suicide, but not the apparently related double homicide.

This is a developing story.