COPS ID STRANGLED WOMAN, SEEK CLUES
A quiet North Andover street was rocked by the discovery of a strangled woman while police continued to comb the neighborhood looking for clues.
Authorities yesterday identified the woman found dead in the basement of a two-family home on Lincoln Street as Wendi Rose Davidson.
The gruesome finding was made by a neighbor shortly after noon Saturday, authorities said.
Davidson, 49, “appeared to have been strangled,” according to Carrie KimballMonahan, spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
An autopsy must still be performed to determine the exact cause and manner of her death, she said.
Kimball-Monahan called Davidson’s death a homicide.
Her vehicle was located a short distance away at a fitness center.
Authorities working the case do not believe Davidson was a random target, though no arrests had been announced as of last night.
Neighbor David Sheehan, 48, said he’s lived on Lincoln Street nearly his entire life and has never experienced such a violent crime so close to home.
“It’s crazy. Crazy,” Sheehan said while shaking his head. “Police were patrolling the neighborhood asking neighbors if they had any surveillance video,” he added.
A North Andover police cruiser slowly moved up and down Lincoln Street yesterday afternoon while two investigators walked down the block.
Davidson’s relatives and friends could not be reached for extensive comment yesterday.
A woman who answered the door at the home where Davidson lived said: “My niece is dead and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
The woman declined further comment.
Neighbors said Davidson lived at the address with her brother. More than one said the adult siblings kept mostly to themselves.
A man who asked not to be identified called Davidson’s death “awful” and said both siblings were pleasant but he didn’t know them extremely well.
“She’s great. We’re good neighbors. We were friendly, we had a good relationship. Her and (her brother) were nice neighbors,” he said.