George Co. deputies investigating murder of couple, unborn child
Published 6:17 pm Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Authorities are investigating the weekend slaying of a George County couple and their unborn child.
Sheriff Garry Welford said Meleah E. Griffin, 18, and Dominique M. Johnson, 21, both of Lucedale, were found dead in a mobile home they shared in the Barton community near the George-Jackson county line.
Griffin’s father said they had been shot, though Welford would not confirm that. Welford also said he couldn’t speculate on a motive and that he has no suspects.
Welford said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation processed the scene.
Phillip Griffin, Meleah Griffin’s father, said his daughter Leandra found the bodies.
Meleah “was on the couch with her arms folded in front of her and had been shot in the chest,” Griffin said. “He (Johnson) was lying face down on the floor, apparently with multiple gunshot wounds. I did not actually see them, but that is what the coroner told me.”
Griffin said he had no idea why anyone would harm his daughter and her boyfriend.
“They were a happy couple,” Griffin said. “I last spoke to her at Christmas. She was expecting a baby and they were excited about that. She was very happy.”
Welford would not say if a weapon was found at the scene.
Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence said pathology reports were pending.
“George County is working around the clock,” Lawrence said. “The Mississippi Crime Lab has been called in, and other law enforcement agencies are assisting in any way possible in the investigation.”