Crime

Elderly man killed, wife missing in central Georgia

/ CBS/AP

EATONTON, Ga. - Police in central Georgia are investigating the slaying of an 88-year-old man and are also searching for his 87-year-old wife, who they fear might have been abducted from the couple's lakeside home.

Putnam County authorities say they went to the home of Russell and Shirley Dermond, in the Great Waters community on Lake Oconee, around 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Russell Dermond CBS Atlanta
Friends of the Dermonds who had gone to the house found a body believed to be that of Russell Dermond, Putnan County Sheriff Howard Sills said. The body was found in the garage of the home, WMAZ-TV reported.

Shirley Dermond was not at the home, and investigators believe she may have been abducted, The Telegraph newspaper reported.

"We haven't had a murder in Putnam County I know in, oh my, probably eight or nine years," Sills told the Macon TV station. "We virtually have no crime in the community where this occurred."

The sheriff said the crimes are believed to have happened sometime between Friday and Sunday. An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of Russell Dermond's death.

Shirley Dermond is described as 5-feet-2-inches tall and 148 pounds. She has grey hair and blue eyes.

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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