By Linda Bolton

The nephew of McLemoresville resident Irene Price will be arraigned Wednesday morning in Carroll County General Sessions Court on felony murder charges, as well as specially aggravated robbery and theft, after she was stabbed to death in her home on Terry Road Friday.

Vivian Lykes of Atwood found her 72-year-old mother dead in the dining room of her home late Friday afternoon when she went to check on her.

Carroll County Coroner Steve Cantrell ruled the death a homicide Friday based on trauma to the body as well as the appearance of the crime scene.

William Patrick Roberson, 34, who had been reared by his aunt since he was a small child and was currently residing with her, allegedly signed a confession to the murder, according to Carroll County Sheriff Bendell Bartholomew. He is being held in Carroll County Jail, pending arraignment on the charges Wednesday.

The sheriff stated a butcher knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered from the crime scene. Mrs. Price's body was found on the floor of the dining room, he said.

The death of Mrs. Price has shocked friends and neighbors in the close-knit town of McLemoresville. The victim was known for taking in several homeless children and rearing them as her own, including her nephew, who was the son of her late husband's sister.

Neighbors stated a school bus driver dropped off great grandchildren at Mrs. Price's home Friday afternoon, because she often kept the children after school until their parents got off work. However, on this particular day the children could get no one to the door and no one responded when the bus driver blew the horn, so he told the children to get back on the bus and they continued on the route.

The daughter arrived on the scene and family members called Emergency 911 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday. An ambulance and the sheriff's department were dispatched immediately to the Price home, located approximately 1-1/2 miles from McLemoresville, just past New Reedy Creek Church.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a description for Roberson because his whereabouts were unknown and Mrs. Price's 1982 Chevrolet pickup truck was missing from the residence. Authorities wanted to rule out that Roberson had also met with foul play. He was described as being a dark complexioned black male with short hair and a mustache, 181 pounds and between 5-feet-4 inches and 5-feet-5 inches tall.

Officers of the Jackson Police Department found Roberson early Saturday morning, walking on North Highland Avenue, and picked him up for questioning. CCSO Officer Doug Pate transported the suspect back to Carroll County for questioning. However, he was later released for lack of evidence, said Sheriff Bartholomew.

Police in Dyer in northern Gibson County, assisted by Trenton Police Department and Gibson County Sheriff's Department picked Roberson up a second time Sunday morning at a friend's home in Dyer, said Sheriff Bartholomew. He was arrested after an anonymous tip led police to Price's pickup truck, which had been located in Humboldt. The sheriff noted the truck was in the possession of a man, who recognized the description from a television report, and delivered the truck to the Gibson County Sheriff's Department at approximately 10:30 a.m.Sunday. The man is not suspected of being involved in the murder.

Sheriff Bartholomew stated he drove to Trenton, took Roberson into custody at the Gibson County Jail, and transported him back to Carroll County. Following questioning by Sheriff Bartholomew and Investigator Becky Keith, he reportedly confessed to the stabbing at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday.

Coroner Cantrell stated the time of death has not been determined, but stated the murder may have occurred as early as 11 a.m. Friday.

Sheriff Bartholomew stated they did not know if the victim had been subjected to other abuse, pending results of the full autopsy. It is not known if anything other than the truck was taken from the scene, until family members can assist officers in making an inventory of items at the Price home.

Mrs. Price was very active in church and was well liked and respected by acquaintances.
 

President Bush said the two earlier plane crashes into the World Trade Center were "an apparent terrorist attack on our country."
The Federal Aviation Administration shut down all airplane traffic nationwide and many aircraft were landing at Memphis and Nashville. This is the first time in American history that all air traffic has been halted. Many are being diverted to Canada. Major government installations, including Treasury and the State Department, were also evacuated. Memphis International Airport was shut down this morning and planes en route to destinations across the United States were directed to the nearest airports, in an unprecedented closing of national airspace.

Larry Cox, the Memphis airport administrator, said he expected the terminals to fill with passengers and said he had no idea how long they will be inconvenienced.

Gen. Richard Myers, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that prior to the crash into the Pentagon, military officials had been notified that another hijacked plane had been heading from the New York area to Washington. He said he assumed that hijacked plane was the one that hit the Pentagon, though he couldn't be sure.
Meanwhile, one of two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center was hijacked after takeoff from Boston, a U.S. official said, citing a transmission from the plane.

A somber Bush told an audience in Sarasota, Fla., gathered to hear an address on education that "this is a difficult moment for America." He said he would be returning immediately to Washington.

The closing of the National Aviation Airspace System has never been shut down, according to FAA officials.

Extra Security At Federal, State Buildings In Tennessee

There's heightened security at federal buildings in Tennessee in the wake of apparent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
In Nashville, federal marshals are walking security details around the Estes Kefauver Federal Building. The state Capitol is also still open.
Tennessee's Legislative Plaza is open with no signs of increased security.
Legislative staffers are huddled around television sets, including one in the center of the plaza, some with their hands over their mouths in disbelief.

Milan Army Ammunition plant was closed Tuesday morning as a matter of security and had plans to remain closed on Wednesday.

Tuesday evening, local residents crowded gasoline stations in fear that a shortage would exist.