Arrest made in double homicide

LAURINBURG — Laurinburg Police announced an arrest in a 2021 double homicide.

According to a release from the department, a 16-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Linda Hatcher Taylor, 71, and her daughter Jennifer Gayle Locklear, 43. The bodies of the women were discovered on October 29, 2o21 in a home on South Pine Street.

“Officers responded to the 700 block South Pine Street around 10:20 p.m. to a frantic call about a medical emergency,” Laurinburg Police Capt. Chris Young told The Exchange following the shooting. “Officers entered the residence and located the first victim, Linda Hatcher Taylor, a 71-year-old female of that residence.”

Taylor had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. Locklear was also pronounced dead at the scene and had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers were told by the relative who contacted law enforcement that, when they had not heard from either of the women, they had come to check on them when they found them unresponsive in the home.

Wednesday, police said for eight months, the department worked collectively with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigations to move the investigation forward.

Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Laurinburg Police Department at 910-276-3211 Criminal Investigative Division.