Elisa Meryl Slutzky, a 47-year-old woman from Huntersville, North Carolina, was found dead on March 8, 2017, in what authorities have ruled as a murder-suicide. The Huntersville Police Department responded to a call at the 12300 block of Cross Meadow Road after a tip-off that a relative had not been responding to phone calls. Upon arrival, officers discovered Elisa Meryl Slutzky and Kenneth Dale Henson, a 55-year-old man from Hickory, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the cause of death for Elisa Meryl Slutzky as murder and for Kenneth Dale Henson as suicide. Investigators determined that Henson shot and killed Slutzky before turning the gun on himself. The police have stated that they are not looking for any suspects or persons of interest in this case, as the evidence at the scene supports the conclusion of a murder-suicide.
Neighbors reported hearing gunshots coming from the residence hours before the bodies were discovered. The investigation revealed that Slutzky and Henson had previously been in a relationship, which Slutzky had ended the previous year. Henson had a background in law enforcement, having worked as a police officer in Lenoir and Hickory. The incident has left the quiet neighborhood of Cross Meadow Road in shock, as it was the first homicide in Huntersville since 2014.
The Huntersville Police Department has been working closely with the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office throughout the investigation. They have asked anyone with information related to the case to contact Lieutenant A. S. Dempski or North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers. The findings of the Medical Examiner’s Office have confirmed the police department's conclusion of a murder-suicide, and no further arrests, suspects, or litigations have been reported in connection with the deaths of Elisa Meryl Slutzky and Kenneth Dale Henson.
