Noxapater Community Shocked Over Homicide Death

NOXAPATER, Miss. (WCBI) – Folks in Noxapater are still in shock after the death of Carolyn Burnside.

As first reported this passed weekend, her death is being investigated as a homicide.

We talked with Burnside’s husband about what Carolyn meant to her community.

What Darrell Burnside said about his wife was repeated by several others we talked to: an involved community member and a loving family member, which leaves people asking themselves the question ‘How could this happen to someone like her?’

It’s a different feeling on Mary Cole Road in Noxapater, as a hole was left in the community early Saturday morning with the death of Carolyn Burnside.

For Darrell Burnside, he’s left shocked with what happened.

He says there wasn’t a harmful bone in his wife’s body.

“My wife Carolyn was one of the most beautiful, inspirational people that you could ever meet,” said Burnside.

He spoke of her involvement in her community, her church, and her family.

If there was one thing Carolyn has left behind as a legacy, it would be her love.

“The legacy she’s going to leave that’s here with us is her unyielding love,” said Burnside. “If you were a part of the community, if you were a part of the family, if you were a part of the church, you know, if you were a part of her life, you felt her love.”

After leaving the home, we came across Darrell’s brother George.

The things he had to say about Carolyn were almost word-for-word.

“She was a church-going lad,” described G. Burnside. “She was an usher, she sang in the choir, and she was a Sunday school teacher. She was just a good community person, and she was loved by many people.”

There is still a level of shock in the community as a whole that something like this would happen to anyone.

“We’ve got quite a few people that live around here, but it’s still a small community,” said George. “To have a thing like this happen in this community, it really is a shock. It really is.”

For Darrell, moving on from this loss will be an uphill battle.

“I can’t see that far into my life without her. I’m just trying to get through every minute,” said Darrell. “You know, looking three months down the road, I can’t see it. I don’t know, speaking of myself, but I know I’ve got to draw strength.”

As far as the investigation of Burnside’s murder, it has currently been taken over by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

We will have more on that as the story develops.