Police: Mother, daughter charged after man found dead; House and car burned

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Burke County sheriff’s deputies arrested a woman and her daughter in connection with a homicide on Wednesday.

Darlene Butler, 53, and her daughter Jessica Cavanaugh, 25, were charged with murder after police said the women confessed to killing Lendon Poteet, 62.

Police investigated three different crimes scenes in Morganton after responding to a mobile home fire.

SLIDESHOW: Scene of man found dead; house, car burned

Steve Carswell said he saw flames over some trees and heard explosions coming from his cousin's house on Rob Carswell Road.

“It didn't burn like no regular trailer,” Carswell said. “It just ‘boom,’ went up.”

But his cousin, Poteet, was not there.

Three hours after the fire, a passer-by found Poteet's body on River Road about 3 miles south of his house. Investigators said he was killed but haven’t said how.

“He was always a quiet guy. Stayed by himself,” Carswell said. “Never did cause no trouble or nothing.”

Six miles north of the house, someone else noticed flames coming from Poteet's car. It was nose-down in a ditch on Pete Brittian Road.

“Early this morning, we heard a big bang, like something exploding,” witness Jeff Stogner said. “Looked out and the car was on fire.”

Late Wednesday afternoon, Burke County sheriff's investigators began conducting interviews in what they thought was a murder and attempted cover-up with fire.

“It seems like it could have been a planned homicide,” Sheriff Steve Whisenant said.

They are now investigating the three crime scenes that were discovered in a span of three hours over an area just under 10 miles.

“(The investigation) needs lots of resources. We have had to secure all three crime scenes,” Whisenant said. “We are actively working all three with assistance from the NC SBI.”

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Burke County Sheriff's Office at 828-438-5500.

WSOC