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Barrow County elderly couple's violent cause of death released

The search for a mysterious black car continues - one that the sheriff says is 'integral' to the investigation.

WINDER, Ga. — Investigators have now released the cause of death for two grandparents found deceased in Barrow County, Monday.

Sheriff Judd Smith told 11Alive that both 70-year-old Willard Ron Hess and 72-year-old Dorothy E. Hess were shot to death that investigators are treating the case as a double homicide. Smith said he learned the cause of death around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities are now looking for a car and the person behind the wheel – someone Sheriff Smith described as “an integral part of this investigation.”

Smith said that the car, a dark four-door sedan, was spotted heading in and out of the neighborhood multiple times on security camera footage from neighboring homes.

"We are hoping someone in that neighborhood recognizes that car," Smith said. "The pictures we have ... we cannot tell if the driver is a male, female, black or white ... anything. But that neighborhood has one way in, one way out. And neighbors say that is not a normal car in the area."

According to investigators, the Hesses were dead inside their Winder home in the 400 block of Southridge Road when first-responders arrived. Their teen grandson said that’s where he found them.

One neighbor said the last time he saw Dorothy was Thursday when she was cutting grass. Others said they were both well-known in the neighborhood and “extremely caring and sweet people.”

"The grandson lives across the street with his mom, dad, and two other siblings. He went to the home ... just to check on his grandparents ... and he immediately realized something was not right and called 911," said Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith.

Smith said their grandson is not listed as a suspect at this time. At this point in the investigation, authorities said there was no sign of forced entry or evidence of an obvious home invasion.

Regardless, Sheriff Smith said that the couple appears to have died “at the hands of another” based on existing evidence.

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