Last Updated on August 8, 2021 12:33 pm
UPDATE Sunday August 8, 2021 – The Avery County Sheriff's office has announced that Elizabeth Carserino – aka Elizabeth Freeman – is in custody. She was taken into custody on Saturday by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office on the outstanding warrants from Avery County. An additional charge of murder has been added to the previous charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, financial card theft and identity theft.
On Friday, July 30th, the Avery County Sheriff’s Office filed a missing person report on 70 year old, Lynn Gay Keene. Keene was reported missing by her family from her home in Linville Falls with their last contact being June 14th. Detectives found the home secured and Keene’s vehicle a 2000 Lincoln Town car was not at the residence. Keene and her vehicle were entered into the state data base in an attempt to locate Keene or her vehicle.
On Monday August 2, 2021 Officers with the Cherokee Police Department reported to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office that Ms. Keene’s vehicle had been located abandoned on Blue Wing Road in Cherokee. A search of the vehicle showed that the car was locked and the keys for the vehicle were found underneath the driver’s seat.
The vehicle being found abandoned led Avery Detectives to get a search warrant for the home of Lynn Keene and with assistance from the NC SBI and their crime scene team and a search of the home was conducted. During the search detectives and SBI agents found human remains entombed in concrete in the basement of the home. An autopsy was performed on the human remains that were located and it was determined through dental records that the remains were that of Ms. Keene. The autopsy also concluded that the cause of death was a homicide and that Keene did not die of natural causes.
A person of interest has been established in connection with this homicide and the Avery Sheriff’s Office and NC SBI are looking for Elizabeth Freeman who may also be going by the name Elizabeth Carserino of South Carolina. Freeman was hired by the family to be the live-in caretaker of Ms. Keene. Freeman is a 53 years old, 5’4” tall and about 200 lbs. Freeman had shoulder length sandy blond hair.
Currently, Elizabeth Freeman is wanted on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, financial card theft and identity theft. Elizabeth Freeman has not been located at this time for questioning.
Elizabeth Freeman
Lynn Gay Keene
