82-Year-Old Durham Man Murdered, Police Say

Police have not yet released what caused the death of Bonnie Daye, 82, but said Thursday that an autopsy ruled the death a homicide.

Neighbors said they had sensed something was wrong on Wednesday when they noticed Daye's car had been gone all day.

"I got up at 6 and his car was not there, and I was like, 'Where is Mr. Daye?'" neighbor Flora Scott said.

On Wednesday night, Daye's grandchildren found him dead inside the front bedroom of the home.

Scott said she rushed over when she heard the screams and went inside. She said he was wrapped up in his blanket from the bed and that it was tied up on both ends.

"I saw his body. They had him tied up, laying on the foot of the bed," Scott said. "It was the cover off the bed -- he was wrapped up and it was tied on each end."

Police found Daye's 2002 Cadillac Deville on the 500 block of Atlantic Street.

Neighbors said Daye was like a grandfather to most of the neighbors, as he would drive people to work and help them out with whatever he could.

"I still don't know what to think," Scott said. "It's a shock. He was a good man."

Investigators are asking anyone with information regarding Daye's murder to call Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or the Durham Police Department at 919-560-4440, extension 264.