STATESVILLE, N.C. — Iredell County deputies are still searching for whoever shot and killed an 80-year-old man on Jan. 10 in Statesville.
[ [PHOTOS: Death investigation in Iredell County] ]
Deputies said they received a dropped 911 call that night from a cellphone inside a home on Shiloh Road in Statesville.
Law enforcement responded to the home after several attempts to contact the caller were unsuccessful. Deputies entered through a broken glass door on the side of the house and found the body of Hugh Lee Moose.
Investigators collected evidence at the home until 6 a.m. Jan. 11. The sheriff said additional investigators returned with search warrants later in the morning.
Officials told Channel 9 that Moose lived alone in the home.
No arrests have been made.
Deputies on Tuesday released a composite sketch of man who they said was seen in the area before the homicide. He was seen walking away from the area of Moose's home within minutes of the first 911 call, they said.
The man is described as wearing Carhartt-type clothing.
Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said investigators are desperate to find answers.
"Several interviews have been conducted with different people, family members and things of that nature, but right now we are just really, the biggest thing right now, is that we are asking for information," Campbell said.
Investigators found damage to a sliding glass door of Moose’s home.
A witness who was in her van across the street from the home, told authorities that she spotted a large man with a beard in Moose's kitchen.
Employees of Hugh's Sheet Metal, which Moose owned, were back on the job Jan. 12 because they said he would want it that way.
"He was the first one here and the last to leave,” employee Keith Waugh said. “Just a good man. (he'd) help you any way he wanted to. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you asked."
"It scares the fool out of me, really, because we live some close,” neighbor Ruby Ervin said.
Eyewitness News reporter Tina Terry spoke Jan. 11 with the victim's granddaughter, who also wants answers.
Krystal Moose said her grandfather was the type of man who would do anything to help his family.
“I already miss him a lot,” she said.
She said her grandfather would do anything for her.
"He wanted to take care of his family and the people around him,” Krystal Moose said.
She told Channel 9 that her grandfather owned Hugh's Sheet Metal for years and was well-known in the community. She said his wife of nearly 60 years is devastated.
"Our family deserves that peace of mind, and my grandfather deserves the justice,” Krystal said.
The sheriff's office said it has received many tips in the case, but they're still putting together a better timeline.
Deputies are searching for a person of interest in the case who was seen in the area between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10. He is described as a white man between the ages of 25 and 35, 5 feet 10 inches tall, clean-shaven, with sandy-blonde hair. He was wearing light-colored Carhartt overalls and a dark backpack, officials said.
Deputies think Moose was killed around 7 p.m. and were checking surveillance video from the area.
They are asking anyone who saw suspicious activity near the home to call 704-928-9804.
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