Two wanted in murder of Hoke County motel manager

RAEFORD, NC (AP) — Authorities in Hoke County are looking for a pair of 21-year-olds in connection with the death of the manager of a Raeford motel.

Several media outlets report warrants have been issued for Samantha Lynn Shilts and Tyler Mark Pierce charging them with first-degree murder and common-law robbery.

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the body of 58-year-old Jakir Mohammad Sheikh was found Monday in a room that had been rented by Shilts and Pierce at the Raeford Inn.

Hoke County authorities say Shilts and Pierce were seen in Sheikh’s 2003 Dodge Stratus last Friday when it was stopped by a police officer in Ohio. The two told the officer they had bought the car and were traveling to Oregon. Shilts is from Medford, Oregon.

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