Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin said Friday they are treating the death of Rosemary T. Wynn, 53, as a homicide.

According to investigators, Wynn, of 595 E. Lake Ridge Road, just outside of Raeford, was found unresponsive early Thursday morning and taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. She died a short time later.

Peterkin said she died of injuries she sustained, but stopped short of saying what type of injuries.

“We’re not talking about a scratch or a little bump,” he said. “These are questionable injuries that put us in the realm of murder.” No arrests have been made.

Samuel Wynn, Rosemary Wynn’s estranged husband, has been named as a person of interest in his wife’s death. Peterkin said Friday that investigators spoke with Samuel Wynn, and that Wynn was cooperating with the investigation.

A search warrant was executed Friday at Samuel Wynn’s home at 4701 Holland Church Road, in Southeast Raleigh. Peterkin said he expected investigators to be on the scene through the evening.

Wynn has been the pastor at Hollands United Methodist Church since June 2005. According to authorities, Rosemary Wynn moved to Hoke County several months ago. No record of official separation or divorce proceedings could be found Friday. Peterkin said Samuel Wynn has been known to visit the home on several occasions since his wife moved there.

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