DARE CO., N.C. - Deputies are investigating after two men were found dead in Currituck and Dare counties on Sunday.
Around 3:30 p.m., the Dare County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to assist with the Dare County Emergency Medical Services at 150 Etheridge Road in Manteo in the Scarborough Square neighborhood.
Officials said Michael Berry, 35, was found dead at the scene. During the investigation, it was determined to be a homicide.
Folks like William Basham, who's a family friend of Berry, are trying to wrap their heads around what happened this holiday weekend.
"I think it’s crazy. It’s all I can think about. It’s just nuts," Basham told News 3. "I just knew him [Berry] since he was a little kid. He was a good guy."
Alondra Lopez said she saw a dozen police officers near her home Sunday in the neighborhood where Berry was found.
"We just kind of got freaked out, and we just stayed in the house," Lopez said. "I’m at a loss for words, honestly. It’s really shocking how that could happen in Manteo."
Deputies said they found the suspect to be Jack Wise, 37. He was taken into custody.
Dare County Deputies then said they contacted Currituck County Deputies and requested a search for Norwood Armstrong, 68, because he was reported missing.
Currituck Deputies said they found Armstrong dead in the woods of the Grandy area off of Macedonia Church Road, after receiving additional information about his possible whereabouts on Sunday night. Macedonia Church Road is also where Basham lives.
"My son actually told me that Michael Berry got killed in Manteo, and then, a man pulled up in the yard and he told me that another guy got killed," Basham said.
Wise was charged with two counts of felony first degree murder and is being held at the Dare County Detention Center with no bond. Officials said they anticipate that further charges will be brought against Wise.
Wise has had previous run-ins with the law in the past. According to records, in 2018 Wise was sentenced on felony charges of breaking and entering and larceny. He was sentenced to a total of four years and six months. Wise was released in March 2021 and placed on parole where officials say he was a fugitive.
Wise has also previously been convicted on several charges of breaking and entering, among others, years prior to the last conviction.
News 3 has reached out to officials to get more information on the cause of death for both men as well as to see if the suspect knew them.
As for Lopez, she hopes questions get answered in this case.
"I just think it’s a lesson for everyone," she said. Be careful with your loved ones because you never really know when their last day is going to be."
If anyone has information that can help with the investigation, call the Dare County Sheriff's Office at (252) 475-5980.
