Published: November 21, 2008 12:02 am         

Suspects sought in break-in, death of Morgan County man

TERRE HAUTE — Police are asking for help in finding two suspects wanted in connection with a break-in Saturday that resulted in the death of an elderly southern Indiana man.

The break-in occurred in Morgantown in Morgan County, southeast of Martinsville. Richard W. Voland, 84, was shot and died later of his injuries in Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. His wife, Mary Voland, 77, also was shot, but she is expected to survive, according to police.

The surviving victim described what happened to police and gave descriptions of the two suspects. Authorities have created a preliminary sketch of the older of the two.

According to Mary Voland, between midnight and 5 a.m. Saturday, two white men entered the home.

The older of the two was described as about age 18 to 20, with dark hair and olive or dark-complected skin. The younger man was described as age 14 to 16 with a light complexion and sandy blond or light red hair; both men were described as clean shaven. The older male suspect may have a wound on one arm.

Indiana State Police public information officer Sgt. Don Gregory said police do not know the whereabouts of the suspects nor where they might be heading.

Gregory said the motivation for the break-in and shootings appeared to be “a robbery gone bad.”

The crime scene has been processed, he said, and evidence is being submitted to a laboratory for further processing. Eventually, he said, police will have information about the suspects, but investigators hope that an early tip could save time and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Detective Kevin Getz is asking anyone with any information regarding the whereabouts of the suspects to call the State Police post at Bloomington at (812) 332-4411 or 1-800-423-1286, or the Brown County Sheriff’s Department at (812) 988-6655, or the nearest police agency.

Deb Kelly can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.kelly@tribstar.com.