Crime scene tape surrounded the house of first and second grade reading teacher Phyllis Kinsey Thursday. All day long, a crowd gathered in front of Kinsey's home. Stunned neighbors, friends and passerbys are all wondering why.
"I'm sad and I'm angry," says Kinsey's aunt, Lois Lamb. "Why someone would do her like that-- I know some people probably knew she lived by herself, but I just can't understand it."
Police were called to Kinsey's house when her co-workers at Langdon Kerr elementary school became worried when she didn't show up for work. Kinsey was found inside murdered. Police say there were no signs of forced entry, but there was evidence of a struggle inside the home. Investigators believe robbery was the motive.
Kinsey's cousin, Joane Murphy, says Kinsey was a sweet lady who would refuse nobody.
Teachers and administrators at the school were told of Kinsey's murder just before they left work. The hardest part comes Friday. In small groups, her students will be told the news. Grief counselors will be on hand to help the children cope.
"She taught children who were in need of remediation in reading," explains Charles Gainey, Superintendent of the Clinton City Schools. "So by definition, these were young people who needed someone who was particularly caring and devoted to people who needed help."
Kinsey had been at Langdon Kerr for the last 17 years. She had been a teacher for almost three decades.
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