JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 55-year-old woman was found dead Tuesday morning, lying in a pool of blood inside a home in a Westside neighborhood, Jacksonville police said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the death was reported on Mossbrook Court, which is in the Cherokee Cove subdivision off Chaffee Road South, north of Normandy Boulevard.
Investigators said someone called 911 to report seeing the woman dead in the one-story home.
Police on Wednesday night identified the woman as Voncile Heath.
Neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told News4Jax that she and another woman found the longtime homeowner's body on the bedroom floor. She said it was "one of the worst things I've ever seen."
"We saw her lying there between the bed and dresser in a pool of blood and we sat there and waited for the police to get here," the neighbor said. "It looked like she was stabbed in the back and the neck."
Officers checked the home to make sure there were no other victims and were waiting on a warrant to be able to investigate further.
They said the woman had visible injuries, but it's unclear what caused them.
The medical examiner will determine the woman's cause of death. According to neighbors, the woman had been living in the home for at least 10 years.
The unnamed neighbor said the other woman who was with her when she made the gruesome discovery was the girlfriend of the dead homeowner's son. She noted that she had seen a suspicious vehicle parked outside the home early Tuesday.
“It was like an older style Suburban type car with some rims on it, earlier in the night around 12 or 12:30," the neighbor said.
Residents said the neighborhood is friendly and typically quiet. Another neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, said she periodically saw the woman outside.
"I’ve seen her before, but that’s just in passing, like coming from work or doing something on the weekends," the neighbor said. "She (was) always in the house. Nobody is really out in this neighborhood except the kids."
Police were interviewing another neighbor a couple of doors down who has security cameras pointed in the direction of the home where the woman was found.
"To see this many cop cars and stuff like that, it's just unbelievable," neighbor Rebecca Karr said. "It’s just totally shocking.”
According to JSO, the case continues to be an active murder investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).