3 found dead in Macon home

Published 9:35 am Tuesday, January 23, 2007

MACON (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine what caused the deaths of three people whose bodies were found in a house.

But police said they found no signs of trauma or forced entry into the single-story house.

“We’re just not sure what happened here, and we won’t be until the autopsy is done,” Macon police Capt. Jimmy Barbee said.

The deaths were first discovered Monday when a friend came to check on the three because they had not been heard from since Saturday, police said. The friend saw one of the bodies through a window.

Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones identified the dead as Fred Chester, 40, Lance Simmons, 39, and Barbara Trice, 59. Chester and Trice were half-siblings who lived in the house. Simmons was a friend.

Drug paraphernalia was found in the home, prompting police to wear protective suits in the house to determine whether hazardous materials from a methamphetamine lab were present, police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said. But police did not find any signs of a meth lab, she said.

Police also checked for carbon monoxide after hearing that the occupants may have used a generator to power the home, police said. A generator was found inside but the air was clear of carbon monoxide, Hofmann said.

Jones said Trice had medical problems. Barbee said it is possible drugs were a factor in the deaths.