Pregnant woman found dead in fire pit at Cary home was shot in the head, autopsy states
By Chelsea Donovan
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CARY, North Carolina (WRAL) — A pregnant woman found dead in March in a fire pit outside a Cary home was tied with rope and shot in the head, according to reports from the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
Authorities identified the woman as Cecily Anne Walker-Scott, 34, of Raleigh, after finding her body in a fire pit outside a home on Dorset Drive in Cary.
Police said the home belonged to Ian Delauder, a 35-year-old man who died after shooting himself March 19 outside his house.
Authorities did not reveal the nature of their relationship but said Delauder was the murder suspect in Walker-Scott’s death.
A toxicology report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh indicates Walker-Scott had methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in her system.
According to the accompanying autopsy report, Walker-Scott was found covered with burnt trash, mulch and melted black plastic, believed to be the remnants of a burned trash can. A bloodied rope was also around her waist.
The autopsy reveals Walker-Scott suffered a gunshot wound to the head, which is being investigated as homicide. Walker-Scott was also pregnant, in her first trimester.
Walker-Scott was wearing sweatpants and a blue short-sleeved shirt when her body was found. Some of her toenails were charred, and she was missing others, the autopsy states.
Police told WRAL News that Delauder had a history with the Cary Police Department. Delauder was arrested in February for felony possession of cocaine at the Dorset Drive home.
“The fence is 5 feet high, and I can see flames over the fence,” the caller said. “There’s a huge plume of smoke.”
Walker-Scott’s body was so charred that her gender and identity were not confirmed until later.
WRAL News learned Cary police have been called to the home a total of 21 times since 2018 for welfare checks and calls of “suspicious activity.”
In February, they were called because of another fire, a car fire on the property. In December 2022, Cary police were called to the residence in reference to drugs.
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