AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — The former live-in caretaker of an elderly woman found entombed in concrete was taken into custody and charged with murder on Saturday, according to authorities.
Avery County, N.C., officials said 53-year-old Elizabeth Carserino of South Carolina was taken into custody for a number of outstanding warrants from Avery County including identity theft, larceny of a motor vehicle, and financial card theft.
Authorities said 70-year-old Lynn Gay Keene had not been seen or heard from since June 14. The sheriff's office said Keene's family filed the report on July 30 in hopes that she would safely be found.
Almost two months later, there was a tragic discovery: her body was found entombed in concrete in the basement of her own home.
Neighbors said they never would've seen this coming in their small and quiet community.
On Aug. 2 the Cherokee Police Department in North Carolina reported to the sheriff's office that Keene's car was found abandoned along Blue Wing Road in Cherokee. The car was locked and the keys were found underneath the driver's seat.
The sheriff's office said finding the car prompted them to get a search warrant, enabling them to enter the home with agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. When they got to the basement of the home, they found human remains entombed in concrete. An autopsy that cross-referenced dental records confirmed the remains found belonged to Keene, and her cause of death was deemed a homicide.
Authorities originally suspected the former caretaker would go to Dorchester County in South Carolina or near the Cumming, Ga. area where some family members reside.
The Avery County Sheriff’s Office assumed custody of Carserino and added the additional murder charge in conjunction with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Carserino is currently in the Avery County Detention Facility with a $1,625,000.00 bond.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Tim Austin by calling either 828-733-2071 ext 1205 or 828-386-7213.