Woman, 61, found dead inside Burke County mobile home park

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By Dave Faherty

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Authorities in Burke County now say the death of a woman in her home early Tuesday morning was self-inflicted.

Deputies discovered 61-year-old Brenda Ross at her house in the J&R mobile home park on Highway 18, just north of Morganton.

The State Bureau of Investigation has been called to assist in the investigation and officials did not say if any arrests had been made.

Friends said they last spoke with Ross on Sunday about going to church.

(Brenda Ross)

When they couldn't reach her Tuesday morning, they came to her home and found her dead inside.

Rick Finley's wife found Ross on the floor where she had placed a mattress.

"She'd help anybody. She'd give you the shirt off her back,” said Finley, a friend. “She'd let people borrow her car. She's just a helpful person.”

Deputies are trying to determine exactly what happened leading to Ross's death.

A neighbor said she had recently been doing some renovations after a fire damaged her home earlier this year.

"She was trying to fix it up and everything,” Danielle Ray said. “The insurance didn't cover any of the damages besides cleaning it. It was sad to hear what happened."

Friends are concerned someone may have learned she had raised money for the renovations through her Facebook page, where she posted about a GoFundMe account after the fire.

In a post, she asked for donations and claimed her insurance wouldn't help. Her last post was around 5 p.m. Sunday.

"I don't know what happened,” Finley said. “We're waiting to hear from investigators. The only thing I know is it looks like a crime has been committed. We're hoping we can find who done it."

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