A woman who went to wash clothes in her laundry room in Central Florida never made it out early Monday, authorities say.
According to the Leesburg Police Department, officers responded to a call about a “suspicious incident” at the residence around 2:30 a.m.
The caller told the dispatcher that they believed their friend, 37-year-old Melissa Smith, was dead.
When officers arrived, they discovered Smith lying on the floor of an attached converted laundry room behind the carport. The Lake County woman died from “at least one” gunshot wound, police say.
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“This friend came to the residence looking for the victim, and couldn’t get an answer from her, knocked on the door and that’s when the mother and the friend found her in the utility room,” Leesburg Police Capt. Scott Mack told reporters.
The case is being handled as a homicide.
Neighbors were both surprised and in shock.
“Just crazy,” one person told WESH.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 352-728-9862 or 800-423-TIPS. You may be eligible for a reward.
