Michelle Young suffered brutal beating

Michelle Young’s killer struck her more than 10 times in the head, neck and shoulders and then strangled her, the state Office of The Chief Medical Examiner reported today.

Young, 29, a mother who was several months pregnant when she was killed, died of blunt force trauma to her head, according to the preliminary autopsy report.

The blows were so numerous, the medical examiner’s office had to place them in groups based on the region of the body injured, the report shows.

The report indicated that someone fractured Young’s lower left jaw. Blows to her head caused multiple skull fractures. More beating left at least 13 lacerations on the back of her head, which caused extensive swelling. Medical examiners found evidence of hemorrhaging in the brain. Fingernail marks pitted the left side of her neck. Her lips were also extensively bruised and swollen.

Young was found beaten to death Nov. 3 inside the home south of Raleigh that she shared with her husband, Jason Young, and their toddler daughter.

Young was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, T-shirt and black pants at the time of her death. Both her head and clothing were bloodied, according to the report.

The beating Young endured was so severe, several of her teeth had been knocked out. A single strand of hair stuck in blood was found in her left hand. Medical examiners preserved the hair as evidence, the report said.

No arrests have been made in the case, and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office has not named a suspect. From the beginning, much of the sheriff’s investigation of the case has focused on Jason Young. Sheriff Donnie Harrison has described Jason Young as uncooperative in the effort to find his wife’s killer.

According to search warrants made public over the past two months, Jason Young was ordered by a court to submit blood, saliva, fingerprint samples and DNA evidence to compare with evidence left at the scene of his wife’s killing.

Wake investigators also obtained warrants to search Jason Young’s 2004 Ford Explorer after seeing what they described as a possible blood droplet on the floor of the vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies also seized Jason Young’s laptop computer and cell phone records after learning that he was the beneficiary of a “substantial” life insurance policy covering his wife.

Court records also alleged that Jason Young was involved in a romantic relationship with another woman and was in almost daily contact with her in the months leading up to Michelle Young’s death.