Woman arrested after funeral home employees find stab wounds on man’s neck

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (TCN) — Police recently arrested a 50-year-old woman on suspicion of killing a 61-year-old man, who investigators initially believed died of natural causes.

According to the Gwinnett County Police Department, on July 20, 2019, officers responded to a medical call on Lexington Drive after a woman entered and found her brother, Ray Neal, deceased in a bedroom. Neal’s sister told officers she last saw Neal the day prior and that he had several medical conditions.

Police found blood on the bed, bathroom walls, and on the shower curtain, but “it was not immediately clear if the blood was related to his medical condition or a crime.”

WSB-TV reports that Neal had hepatitis C, which could have caused the blood loss.

A funeral home eventually took in Neal’s body. While they were moving and preparing him for transport, they reportedly found “suspicious injuries on his neck.” The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Neal sustained stab wounds on his neck, and his death was ruled a homicide.

In 2024, one of Neal’s relatives called authorities and said they believed Carmen Hunt killed Neal. Hunt was in jail for allegedly stabbing someone in 2022.

Investigators reviewed security video, conducted interviews, and looked at fingerprints collected at the scene. As a result, police announced Jan. 23 that officials charged Hunt with felony murder and aggravated assault. She remains held in the Gwinnett County Jail for the 2022 charges and new warrants.

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