A person of interest in the apparent double homicide of a husband and wife may also be linked to a home invasion.
Deputies are looking for 60-year-old John Wesley Jeffries, of Fredericksburg. Police believe he may be a suspect in a home invasion that occurred the night before a Fauquier County couple was found dead.
The victim in the home invasion case, a 67-year-old man who uses an oxygen tank, told authorities he saw a stranger in his Fredericksburg backyard around 9:30 p.m. Saturday night and told him to leave. When the trespasser pushed the victim into his kitchen, the victim hit him over the head with his oxygen tank before leaving the house and going to a neighbor's to call 911. The other man stole money and left through the front door.
The next afternoon, Fauquier County sheriff's deputies found Nelson Slack, 80, and Ethel Slack, 74, dead in their Scott, Va., home about 1:15 p.m. Sunday.
Authorities visited their home because friends reported the Slacks did not show up at church and could not be reached. They hadn't been seen in more than 24 hours, and their vehicle was not at their residence in the 7200 block of Bunker Hill Road.
The vehicle was found Sunday evening in the Fredericksburg area, according to the sheriff’s office.
A vehicle known to be operated by Jeffries was found about a half mile from the Slacks' home, according to the sheriff's office.
Jeffries is wanted only for questioning in this case. However, he is also wanted for alleged crimes of abduction, strangling and malicious wounding, according to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said Jeffries is a sexually violent offender and should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said. Anyone who encounters him should be cautious and call 911 immediately.
(Note: Photo of scene courtesy FauquierNow.com.)
