GARNER It was about 10:30 a.m. Thursday when a man called 911 and told a dispatcher that he wanted to confess to a murder.
When officers arrived at 217 Whithorne Drive - a one-story, wood frame home with a long front porch off Timber Drive - there was no answer when they knocked on the front door. Officers forced their way inside where they found a man and woman, dead.
Police declined to identify the victims or to say how they died, but neighbors identified the couple who lived there as Daniel and Doreen Powell. Police did confirm the deceased were an African-American male and a Caucasian female, a description that fits the couple's Wake County voter registration records.
"It's a homicide investigation, but we are not looking for a suspect right now," Garner police Sgt. Chris Clayton said Thursday afternoon.
Clayton declined to say whether they found a weapon in the home.
Susan Senter Lowe, who resides at 206 Whithorne, said the Powells moved to the neighborhood a little over 10 years ago. She described them as a quiet couple who did not do a lot of socializing. They have a teenage daughter who lives at the home, and grandchildren who visit.
"I haven't seen them today," Lowe said.
'Very kind people'
Neighbor Cathy Mason said the Powells have four daughters and described them as "very kind people." She said her two boys, ages 8 and 5, would play with the Powells' 9-year-old grandson, Jalen, when he visited.
"Dee [Doreen Powell] would walk them through the woods and take them to the Pizza Hut or to the movies," Mason said.
Mason said her sons were at the Powells' home on Monday to play with Jalen. Doreen Powell fixed the boys grilled cheese sandwiches, she said.
"I just talked with Dan yesterday morning," Mason said. "He was in the yard raking [sweet] gum [tree] balls. We had a long conversation. It's almost surreal."
News researcher Peggy Neal contributed to this report.
thomasi.mcdonald@ newsobserver.com or 919-829-4533
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