FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Fernandina Beach neighbors are still on edge two days after police found a woman dead inside a home she was house sitting.
[ ‘We can’t wait to get out:’ Fernandina Beach homicide victim identified, neighbors shocked by crime ]
Those who live close to the home say they’re used to crime on their street but not murder.
“If you were to go into the backyard of this person’s house, you would hit my house. It’s definitely super close to home,” neighbor Samantha Nance said.
The woman found inside the home has since been identified as Colleen Potts, 73, of Yulee.
On social media, we learned she was a local dog walker and pet sitter in the area.
Action News Jax first told you Monday the Fernandina Beach Police Department is investigating the suspicious death as a homicide.
Police said they know how she died but they cannot release those details yet.
“We do not have anyone currently as a person of interest. We do have some leads that we’re tracking down,” Fernandina Beach Police Deputy Chief Jeffrey Tambasco said.
Some neighbors we spoke with said they didn’t personally know Potts but may have seen her walking dogs down the street once or twice.
“I hope they catch him or her, we don’t know, quickly so everybody can be at ease,” neighbor Cindy Nance.
With a killer on the loose, they’re not taking any chances.
“We usually leave our back door open so the dog and cats can go in and out, but I’m not gonna do that anymore until this is resolved,” Cindy said.
Right now police cannot confirm if the homicide was an attempted burglary or not. They do not believe there is a threat to the community, but they encourage everyone to take precautions.
“It’s definitely shocking just because I’ve lived here my whole life and usually murder doesn’t go with Amelia Island,” Samantha said.
Police said the homeowner is being cooperative in the investigation. They also said we should get another update on the case by the end of the week.