Report: Wake Forest homicide victim found with bag on head, hammer nearby

Just after 10 p.m. on Oct. 27, officers with the Wake Forest Police Department responded to 4411 Iyar Way to check on the welfare of Stephanie Autry after speaking with the nanny who cared for Autry’s 3-year-old son.

In a call to police, the nanny said that Autry’s son was supposed to be dropped off at his Wake Forest home at 3 p.m. but that Autry had not responded to any calls or text messages since 1:20 p.m.

“I’ve called her, I’ve texted her, and I’m really worried because I have her child,” said the nanny during the call.

The nanny said that she later received an iCloud message from Autry saying that her phone was damaged and needed to be replaced and another message at 3:29 p.m. saying, “I hope you’re not on your way home.”

The nanny said that was unusual behavior for Autry, who worked as an intensive care nurse at Duke University Hospital.

Officers who responded to the home found that a window at the back of the house had been broken. They used a key given to them by the nanny to get inside and found Autry’s body behind a locked bathroom door.

According to a search warrant, Autry was found with a plastic bag over her head and a blanket covering her body. A hammer and a sweatshirt that appeared to have bloodstains on it were found near the bathroom.

Following Autry’s death, a nationwide search was issued for her husband, Lanson Paul Stalf. Stalf, who had recently been released from prison for robbing a PNC Bank in Wake Forest, was captured on Oct. 30 in Batesville, Miss., after he checked into a hotel using his real name.

In the call to police, Autry’s nanny said that she had been told by Autry that Stalf was staying at the home and had struggled with drugs.