DERRY, NH — In Derry, NH authorities are trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. Sunday night, shortly after 10 p.m., a devastating fire broke out at 27 Mt. Pleasant St. in Derry.
Three responding Derry Police officers immediately got inside and found an unconscious man on the kitchen floor and dragged him out. The man was later identified as 57-year-old Manoel Viana, the owner of the house.
He was transported to a Boston hospital where is, at press time, battling life-threatening injuries.
After the fire was extinguished, authorities found the body of 53-year-old Lynn Marie Viana inside. Lynn Marie was Manoel’s wife, but authorities said she did not live in the house.
Neighbors told investigators they heard gunfire before they saw the fire. The N.H. Attorney General’s Office is now appealing to the public for help.
Assistant Attorney General Scott Chase said, in a Zoom interview, that investigators want to know more about Manoel’s whereabouts before the fire broke out. He also said he wants residents to check their home surveillance cameras, even their Ring Doorbell videos, to see if they captured any evidence.
Boston 25 News asked Chase if this all meant that Manoel is a suspect in his wife’s death.
“We don’t name suspects,” he answered.
The State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine Lynn Marie’s cause and manner of death. For now, Lynn Marie’s death is called, “suspicious.”
The AG’s office will not discuss the nature of Manoel’s injuries.
The three Derry, N.H. police officers who dragged Manoel out of the house all suffered minor injuries. They were sent to a local hospital where they were treated and released.
Call Derry, N.H. Police if you can help.
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