‘Sweetest’ pair of nuns stabbed to death at home

TWO nuns who worked as nurses and helped the poor in Durant, Mississippi, have been found slain in their home.

Reverend Greg Plata, who oversees a Catholic church the sisters attended, said police told him they’d been stabbed.

The nuns were identified as Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill.

The women were found on Thursday morning when they didn’t report to work at a nearby clinic, where they gave medical care for children and adults who couldn’t afford it.

“They were two of the swee- test, most gentle women you can imagine. Their vocation was helping the poor,” said Rev Plata.

Maureen Smith, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, said there were signs of a break-in at the home and the nuns’ vehicle was missing.

Authorities didn’t release a motive and it wasn’t clear if the nuns’ religious work had anything to do with the slayings.

Sister Merrill, 68, had worked in Mississippi for more than 30 years. In a video detailing her work, she had said: “What really appals me is over 60 per cent of the children live in poverty.”