Married Garner Couple Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide Following 911 Hang-Up

Garner NC murder-suicide

A married couple was found dead in their home on Chaney Drive near Cornwallis Road in Garner North Carolina news murder-suicide on Saturday evening, according to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.

Around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Johnston County 911 dispatchers received a distress call that was suddenly disconnected. When dispatchers returned the call, 53-year-old Christopher Pugh answered, claiming he had not dialed emergency services. In the background, however, dispatchers could hear a woman—later identified as his wife, 54-year-old Teresa Adams-Pugh—pleading for help.

Deputies responded to the couple’s residence, where they reportedly heard gunfire upon arrival. Dispatchers attempted to contact the home again, and Christopher reportedly answered, stating he would come outside—but he never exited the residence. After deputies were unable to re-establish contact with Christopher, they set up a perimeter and began preparing for a possible hostage or barricaded subject situation.

Later that night, law enforcement obtained a search warrant and entered the home around 11 p.m., where they discovered Christopher and Teresa deceased from gunshot wounds.

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office is currently treating the case as a domestic murder-suicide, though the investigation remains ongoing.