56-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl found dead inside Casa de Oro home

CASA DE ORO (KUSI) – A 56-year-old woman and her 16-year-old granddaughter were found dead Wednesday inside their home near Mount Helix.

Two women flagged down California Highway Patrol personnel about 8 a.m. and told them about a foul odor surrounding their friends’ house in the 4100 block of Avoyer Place in Casa de Oro, sheriff’s Lt. Kenn Nelson said.

The officers checked inside and found the bodies on a bed in a back room.

The District Attorney’s Office identified the deceased woman this afternoon as 56-year-old Marshelle Newby, a criminal-division legal secretary who had been employed by the agency for 23 years. Neighbors told news crews the other body was that of Newby’s 16-year-old granddaughter, Emily.

According to Newlson, what caused the pair’s deaths was not immediately clear, but he said they appeared to have been dead for about a week.

"There are no signs of forced entry or a struggle,” the lieutenant said. "There are no outstanding suspects in this case.”

A note was found near the bodies, according to Nelson. He declined to disclose its contents.

The county Medical Examiner’s Office was called in to take custody of the bodies for identification and autopsy purposes.