AUTRYVILLE, N.C. – The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office shared new details Monday about a tragic triple murder-suicide that took place on Sunday morning. The incident occurred in a wooded area near the end of Tanner Lane in Autryville, where deputies discovered four people dead in and around two tents after responding to a shots-fired call at 9:22 a.m. The victims were identified as Carrie Nichoel Trampel, 41, and the suspect was named as 40-year-old Dwane Paul Miller from Marysville, WA, who died by suicide. Investigators believe the four had been living in tents at the encampment for several weeks.
Captain Eric Pope revealed that the incident stemmed from an ongoing domestic violence dispute between Miller and Trampel, which had originally occurred in another state. Neighbors reported hearing an argument before gunshots were fired, leading investigators to determine that Miller shot the victims multiple times before taking his own life. The sheriff’s office is still looking for the perpetrator(s) of an unrelated case from October 26, 2023, where five people were shot and killed inside a house in Clinton off Garland Highway. The reward of up to $10,000 is being offered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the Sampson County murder investigation.