A Middle River community is reeling from a devastating incident that left a grandmother and her granddaughter dead in their home. Baltimore County Police discovered the bodies of Iona Sellers, age 75, and Autumn Harvey, 29, on Sunday morning. A friend's concern spurred a welfare check when they hadn't heard from one of the victims. Responding officers arrived at the residence on Taos Circle to the grisly scene of both women having sustained blunt force trauma to the upper body, as reported by FOX45 News.
The family, still processing the shock of the dual tragedy, seeks answers and justice. Devin Harvey, Autumn's cousin, expressed his disbelief, as per CBS Baltimore, saying, "complete utter shock," and that upon hearing the news, "I think I blacked out for a couple of seconds [when I found out]. I just woke up and I was on the floor." He remembered Autumn as shy yet kind with a "contagious laugh," and Iona as a generous community and church member.
The reason behind the killings remains unknown, with Baltimore County Police not disclosing any potential motive thus far. Detective Trae Corbin commented on the ongoing nature of the investigation, "We're currently trying to figure out what took place." Family members are struggling to understand who would want to cause harm to Iona and Autumn. "I can’t imagine anybody would want to hurt her because she was such a kind, gentle soul. She wouldn’t hurt a fly so anyone who would want to hurt her is just a coward," Devin Harvey stated, as reported by FOX45 News.
As detectives press on with their search for a suspect, the Harvey family has been canvassing the neighborhood in hopes of finding surveillance footage that could lead to answers. They urge anyone with relevant information to contact Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020 or the anonymous Metro Crime Stoppers line at 1-866-756-2587 (7LOCKUP).
