Murder-suicide likely in February deaths

RALEIGH -- Raleigh police officials said Tuesday that a man suspected of killing his girlfriend and their infant daughter Feb. 22 may have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

One of three people found dead in a burned-out apartment on Raleigh’s east side had been shot, search warrants revealed Monday.

The search warrants on 305 Roselle Court, Apt. B — returned Monday evening — revealed that someone in the house had an apparent gunshot wound. They also detail what was taken from the scene of the blaze.

A fire was reported in the apartment at about 3 p.m. that day. When fire officials extinguished the blaze, they discovered Rosa Carranza-Morales, 26, Noureddine Elamrani, 30, and the couple’s 11-month-old daughter, Dayna Carranza-Elamrani, all dead.

An autopsy on Carranza-Morales determined she had been stabbed to death. She had no gunshot wounds.

A .45 caliber Beretta pistol, one fired shell casing, one projectile and seven unspent shell casings were among the items taken from the apartment as investigators worked to piece together what happened. Items were also seized in the search of a 1996 Dodge Stratus registered to either Elamrani or Carranza-Morales.

In a statement released Tuesday, Raleigh police officials said they are waiting for autopsy results for Elamrani and baby Dayna to back up the findings of their investigation.

"All the facts and evidence obtained to date indicate that Rosa Elena Carranza-Morales and Dayna Sofia Elamrani-Carranza were murdered and that they were killed by Noureddine Elamrani, who subsequently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound," the statement said. "It is believed Noureddine Elamrani started the fire that eventually let to the discovery of the crime scene."

Carranza-Morales had filed a complaint on Feb. 5 in Wake County District Court seeking a protective order against Elamrani. In the complaint, she said Elamrani was the father of her youngest child, and that they were not married.

Carranza-Morales wrote in the complaint that Elamrani “liked to beat the child.”

An emergency protective order was signed Feb. 5 that required Elamrani to have no contact with Carranza-Morales and to stay away from the apartment.

A second order signed eight days later required Elamrani to stay at least 100 feet from Carranza-Morales for one year. The ruling allowed Elamrani to visit the home to pick up his daughter.