Deputies search for answers after Apex double murder
APEX, N.C. (WTVD) -- A mother and daughter were found shot to death in a house near Apex on Saturday, and the suspected shooter is dead, officials said.
Deputies received a call to check on the welfare of the people inside a home in the 7600 block of Humie Olive Road. When authorities arrived, they found 44-year-old Melissa Mitchell McLain and her daughter, 17-year-old Ashley Nicole Fite, dead in the house.
An investigation led to 47-year-old Lemuel Gabriel Miller, whose vehicle was found around 8 a.m. in Harnett County. Miller died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities say.
Authorities said Miller called a friend and asked them to make the call for a welfare check on McLain and Fite.
"Uh yea, I need someone to go by an address and check to see if there's been a shooting," that friend can be heard telling a 911 dispatcher in a recording of the call.
"He was troubled," said one of Miller's neighbors, who asked us not to share her name. "He liked to shoot up stop signs when he got angry, you could always hear a lot of shooting."
Fite was a senior at Holly Springs High School and had just graduated early. Friends say she had joined the Marines and was excited about starting boot camp.
A friend of the family said McLain loved the music scene and supported local talent. They said she would frequently come out to performances and charity events held by local musicians.
As far as what led up to the shooting or a possible history of violence, the Wake County Sheriff confirms they were called out to the home three times in 2015, but none of them were to report domestic violence.
