Sheriff says wife of missing Granville County man drowned
GRANVILLE COUNTY (WTVD) -- Granville County Sheriff Brindell B. Wilkins said Wednesday that the autopsy for the wife of a man who's been missing for more than a year is complete.
Wilkins said the autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner's Office in Raleigh shows that Lillian Terry drowned and no foul play is suspected.
Terry was found dead Saturday in the Grassy Creek area. Her body was floating near the shoreline of a lake behind her home on Farrow Lane. Authorities said it appeared she had been there for several days.
Sheriff Wilkins said Hurricane Matthew may have played a role in her death.
"The water was still high after the storm, and we believe Terry was attempting to get to her boat dock, which was about 40 yards out in the water," Wilkins said. "She had on chest waders when she was found."
Terry's husband John vanished over a year ago. Granville County deputies have said they don't expect to find him alive but continue to investigate.
"We have been proceeding with caution in investigating this case," said Wilkins. "Because of the circumstances surrounding this entire investigation, we had to look at all of the possibilities to eliminate any questions that may have arisen around this particular incident."
John Terry's employer reported him missing Sept. 9, 2015, when the 57-year-old veteran UPS driver from Bullock didn't show up for work.
The day before, John, who'd filed for separation from his wife, missed their court hearing.
Authorities ruled it a homicide and searched their home multiple times.
Lillian spoke to ABC11 in October 2015 about her husband's disappearance. She said she didn't know where he was and was still holding out hope he would make it back home.
"I don't understand why they're giving me such a hard time because I've never been in any trouble," she told ABC11. "I mean, can you see me killing somebody? I mean look at me. If anybody knows anything I wish they would let us know."
Court records show John had accused Lillian of having an affair and tampering with his bottle of Mountain Dew.
Lillian's attorney said she denied those allegations and that it was John who was seeing a masseuse in Durham.
