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POWELLSVILLE – Bertie Sheriff John Holley says there are a lot of unanswered questions as his investigators try to figure out how a Powellsville man wound up dead in a ditch at his residence.

Holley said he believes someone killed 56-year-old Christopher Winborne whose lifeless body was found Friday morning at 220 Center Grove Road near Powellsville.

“We’re still waiting on the medical examiner’s report, but I can say at this time that we are treating this case as a homicide,” Holley said.

The Sheriff added that the body was badly decomposed.

“Due to that fact, it was hard for us to determine the exact cause of death,” Holley noted. “We’ll know more once the medical examiner finishes their work.”

Holley said Winborne lived at the residence with a female acquaintance along with several other individuals.

“We were told that Mr. Winborne left his residence in his truck on Tuesday of last week (July 19),” Holley said. “We don’t believe that’s the case. We believe that the body had been there for at least one week before it was reported to us on Friday.”

Holley noted that the North Carolina SBI is assisting the Bertie Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

“We have no suspects at this point,” Holley said.