Police pursuing a ‘number of different leads' in possible Niles double homicide

NILES — A husband and wife found dead Friday afternoon in their home just east of the city limits are suspected to be the victims of a double homicide. Authorities identified the couple as Carolyn M. Tarwacki, 39, and John F. Tarwacki, 40. Police spent hours Friday afternoon searching for clues around the Tarwacki home, in the 900 block of Carberry Road in Howard Township. Police were called to the Tarwackis’ house about 12:45 p.m. after a relative found their bodies while doing a check of the house. The cause of their deaths was still under investigation as of Friday evening, police said. The home is located in a rural area just east of the Niles city limits on the very western edge of Cass County, between Yankee Road and Michigan 60. Authorities said they are seeking the public’s help in identifying a “suspicious person” who may have been walking near a vehicle on Yankee Street or Carberry Road early Friday morning. The person is de-scribed as a white male, 20-30 years old, with brown hair and medium build. “We’re asking people to call us if they saw anything suspicious east of Carberry by Yankee Road,” said Det. Lt. Mike Brown of the Michigan State Police post in Niles. Brown said he did not know if the couple’s deaths could have been the result of a break-in or if there were any signs of forced entry. But police were looking for footprints just east of the home. Several family members of the victims gathered at a home two houses north of the crime scene. They declined comment. James Anderson, who lives at the corner of Yankee and Carberry, said he didn’t see or hear anything early in the morning because he was sleeping. “When I woke up I saw a cop car and thought it was an accident,” Anderson said. “There are a lot of accidents at this intersection. “I thought, ‘I hope the person is not in my house.’ I locked my doors. Some neighbors were told to stay in their home.” Michigan State Police and the Cass County Sheriff’s Department were jointly investigating. A state police crime lab vehicle from Grand Rapids also was at the scene. Authorities had Carberry from Yankee to Michigan 60 blocked off for hours. Anyone with information regarding the homicide should call the Niles Post at 269-683-4411. Mary Kate Malone contributed to this article.