By By Adam Prestridge
Investigators with the Atmore Police Department are closely examining the events that led up to the murder of an Atmore man over the weekend, the second homicide this year.
Officers responded to a death investigation just before 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Bragg Street Apartment Complex, said Atmore Public Safety Director Glenn Carlee. Upon arrival, officers met with the bother-in-law of the victim, who said he entered the residence of 51-year-old Michael Lee Dailey and discovered him dead. Officers found Dailey lying face down in the bedroom. Paramedics with Atmore Ambulance pronounced Dailey dead at 4:04 p.m.
Carlee said there were no signs of forced entry and said he believes that Dailey, who lived in the apartment alone, knew his assailant and allowed the suspect entry into the residence.
Carlee would not release any more details about the department’s investigation, saying it could jeopardize the case.
The medical examiner was called to scene located at 74 Martin Luther King Ave. and requested the assistance of the Alabama Department of Forensic Science to respond with its crime scene unit. The Atmore Police Department also requested the assistance of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
According to a release from the Atmore Police Department, Dailey’s body was transported to the Department of Forensic Science Laboratory in Mobile where an autopsy was performed on Monday. The results of the autopsy reports are incomplete due to the nature of this crime and the ongoing investigation.
Police said they were unable to release any information on the cause of death, but police believe the assailant left the murder weapon at the scene. All evidence recovered at the scene is being processed for DNA, Carlee said.
Dailey was last seen alive by neighbors at his residence at around 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, Carlee said.
The Atmore Police Department asks that anyone with information about the case to contact the Atmore Police Department or the Alabama Bureau of Investigation at 368-9141 or 251-578-1315.