Young, Pregnant Mother Slain At Home

Michelle Young Was Found Dead By Her Sister In North Carolina

(CBS)  Michelle Young, 29, was four months pregnant with her second child when she was found slain less than two weeks ago in her home in Raleigh, N.C.

Young's sister found her beaten to death on the bedroom floor. She was lying in a pool of blood with her 2-year-old daughter, who was unharmed, by her side.

"I think my sister's dead," Meredith Fisher told the 911 operator when she called.

Detectives say Young's husband, Jason, was out of town on business when his wife's body was found. He had left the day before, and reportedly called his sister-in-law and asked her to go to his home to pick up a fax. That's when Young was found dead.

Investigators say there were no signs anyone forced their way into the home, but the murder was violent.

"It's a tragedy that anybody would do this to start with, but with a child in the house like this ... it just makes me mad," Sheriff Donnie Harrison told The Early Show correspondent Bianca Solorzano.

Criminal profiler Pat Brown told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm that women are more likely to be murdered in their home than anywhere else.

"It's interesting. It's most unsafe for men to be out of the home and most unsafe for women to be in the home when it comes to murder," she said. "Women are usually murdered by someone they know or have a relationship with. And pregnant women are targeted by people they are in relationships with."

Young's death has hit home in Sayville, Long Island, N.Y., where she went to high school and is remembered as a popular cheerleader.

"How someone can actually do that to someone that is a young girl that is pregnant with a baby," Young's former classmate Nicole Waters said.

Investigators have talked with Young's husband and asked him for fingerprints and, while they are calling him a person of interest, they have not named any suspects in the case.

"They obviously loved each other very much," said Jason Young's friend, Vince Andrews. "And they were both young, just out of college, starting a family. It's just awful."

Brown said the violent killing shows that some rage was involved, which usually points to someone who was close to the victim.

"But that doesn't mean it couldn't be a stranger," she said. "Sometimes somebody will open a door to someone casing the neighborhood, or may open the door to a neighbor saying, 'Could I borrow sugar?' And the woman fights back and the man gets mad and they say, 'Hey, she fought back and it made me really mad.' A rage killing can be a stranger, but more often it's someone she knows that's gotten angry and has lost control."

Brown said Jason Young is "definitely a suspect" in his wife's murder.

"It is standard procedure as well because the husband is the first one you look at, but he has to prove he was really out of town," she said. "His family is not necessarily a good alibi and it's interesting that he had to call to have a fax picked up at his home.

"Sometimes people who kill someone and are waiting for someone to find that person to get it over with, or perhaps the child is in the house and they want the child found. That's suspicious, as well. Police will look heavily at this guy to be sure he has a perfect alibi."

Brown said the fact that there were children involved further complicates things. Killers often will not target children, she said. The fact that Young was pregnant may have added more stress to the marriage. Some husbands feel added pressure to make more money.

"Sometimes that can send certain men over the edge," Brown said.

Brown said if Young is the killer, he may have been concerned for his 2-year-old, who was left alone at the house.

"I feel sorry for the husband if he's innocent because he will be focused on," Brown said. "His family is saying leave him alone, but the family should encourage him to take the polygraph and if there's no evidence in this case, what does he have to worry about?"

[juliehg-2009]

Well, at least he didn't say he was fishing or was he? That alibi has already been used and it failed.

[clvassallo]

He did it or he had someone else do it for him.

[webdepot]

clvassallo -
Hope you are never called to jury duty...

[sciselia]

i think that blameingthe husband isnt the way this should work....you really cant say he did it unless you saw his reaction... but the point is that this is a HORRIBLE crime...and im sorry for the family...and im terribly sorry for that 2 year old child that sat beside there slain mother...that is heartbreaking...

Sci

[musicnote40]

Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

[rlhayes927]

if he was innocent, it would have played out differently. okay, if he needed a fax from his house, he would have called his wife first at home and then on her cell. and when he couldn't get her, then he would have called her sister or some other friend or family member to check on her and his child. and phone records would back him up. his story of calling his sister-in-law to get a fax from his own house smells like manure and should be treated as such.

[syphlis]

Judging from his actions it's pretty obvious that he killed her, unless theres an overwhelming amount of evidence that proves he wasn't anywhere near the home at tod, which there wont be. I don't believe that he hired anyone to do it considering she was beaten by somebody who was enraged and probably had some sort of relationship to her. I hope this guy fries for what he did.

[chatwithme-2009]

That is why our country is so beautiful, You are innocent until proven guilty..... let the cops do thier job.

[seteras06]

Im currently 9 months pregnant with my first child.To think that the father of my child or someone close to me could do such a thing is scary.We live in a nation now where human life isn't protected or valued like it used to be, and we all should be on guard when it comes to not only protecting ourselves and our loved ones from harm but those who cant fend for themselves. In cases like this I believe in my heart with the evidence already being presented about the husband calling the sister in law about the fax that he did do it or had a family member close to them commit the murder suddenly. So that when they found her nothing would be able to be pointed to them but obviously they have never heard about lie detector testing and dna test sampling at the scene etc.....I hope as this nation reads this and sees what's going on that it's an eye opener to be extra protective and look out because it could be somebody you love that ends up like this next, and i will not go to my grave with my precious little girl scared for her safety and most of all her life.Parents do whatever you have to to see that young men like this dont get away with countless murders.I also will say I have been on Jury Duty and know what innocent untill proven guilty means but when it's your child or someone you love that has their life on the line sometimes we have to make the ultimate judging call.I hope he does get what's coming to him for this.God bless that poor young girl and the innocent lives that were taken.

[Kamariona]

child i'm a teen mother and i'm happy my baby father or no one eles hurt me or would even think about i'm 16 and i have a 5 month old son and if someone did that to my sister i would kill them or do somethig that will hurt them for the rest of their life

[amoses3]

Sounds like the sister was involved???... hmmm
as well as the husband

[amoses3]

Sounds like the sister was involved???... hmmm
as well as the husband

[amoses3]

Sounds like the sister was involved???... hmmm
as well as the husband

[syphlis]

im pretty sure the sister had nothing to do with it Amoses3..
are you really that dumb?
are you really that dumb?
are you really that dumb?

[pati6b]

I think everyone is jumping to conclusions. What happened to innocent until proved guilty. No body know whether he tried to call his wife at home or her cell and couldn't reach her so therefore he called he sister. A situation simular to this one occurred recently and it was the wife of my son's best friend. He was serving in Irag when his wife was brutally murdered while their young son was sleeping in the other room. Fortunately for my son's friend he was in Irag or he would have been accused. People are always willing to blame the husband or the wife without any evidence. So, before we start placing blame, let's wait and get all the facts.

[musicnote40]

Thankfully it is innocent until proven guilty in the great USA. It will ultimately be the prosecutors responsibility to prove that someone, the husband or anyone else, did or didn't commit this horrible tragedy. The husband will have to answer a lot of questions but in the courts it all falls on the prosecutor. I do feel for this family and they are in my thoughts and prayers.

[pima6]

amoses3 did it.

[trogdoar]

I love it how everyone and their uncle is speculating about who commited a heinous crime. With hardly any facts it would be nearly impossible to come to an informed decision. At this point i personally am more concerned with the 2 year old daughter than with guessing who killed her mother...

[loki_42]

howzilla - The police saying the husband would need to prove he was out of town had NOTHING to do with finding him guilty, just with getting himself taken off the list of SUSPECTS. You ARE innocent until proven guilty, no matter how much you want to believe otherwise. Guys like OJ have had REAMS of evidence showing them guilty and still get off if they can raise any doubt with the jury.

[catt42701]

The husband doesn't have to prove he is out of town but he has to give the police information that would lead to them proving he was out of town. If they find he wasn't then they have to prove he killed his wife. He is a vialble suspect as many pregnant women are killed by their husbands or boyfriends for whatever reason. It's part of the control issue some people have. I imagine there are more than just the husband that have to prove where they were on the day she was killed.

[linfinster]

As tantilizing as this discussion is, how sad that the media has chosen to report on something they know little about, causing more distraction in finding the truth. Now, instead of grieving and morning a death, this falmily now face an every day berage of media and more obscure speculation. Why can't we as a society just wait a bit for some of our news so that more information is gathered and a better peice of journalism can be printed? About as much info as the Inquirer.

[linfinster]

I wonder how scarred this child will be from this? How much she'll remember? So very sad.

[toshi43]

Only the worst kind of human scum would try to politisize a tragedy like this. This was a nasty, vicious murder of an innocent young woman, and anyone using it to promote a political agenda is,IMHO just as bad as the perp.

You make me sick, msspurlock.

[exusmcsgt]

msspurlock-

I'm afraid your lens is deviated.....

[seteras06]

As I said earlier in a previous statement we need to be on guard and watch out for our safety as well as our children's.I'm sorry for what this young girl had done to her but most of all I feel for this 2 year old child who will be haunted by nightmares and probably have a stress disorder for the rest of her life.I cant believe america is thinking the husband didn't do it of course when the truth finally comes out nobody will be able to say anything because the evidence will be overwhelming and I just hope the family can get that little girl the counseling and treatment she will need to have a successful life.This may be a case where the husband is called out of town for buisness and while away contacts someone close to them to do it so that he doesn't have to go through the pressure of providing for a wife and two kids.I hope we all find out soon what really happened so some of us who are hurt by these actions can find some peace in all of this mess.If the police also had done their jobs from day one when it was first discovered the child would have been questioned the sister in law would have answered a few quetions and took a lie detector test and then most important of all the husband would have confirmed his where abouts and records from a hotel and either his cell phone or home phone would have been researched to see if he did attempt to call his wife first or if this whole thing was plotted.

[destinee09]

This is so terrible, it just makes me sick to my stomach. In my opinion it was personal which means either hubby, someone she was having a affair with or a stranger living in the area who had an altercation with someone that they were involved with. People tend to need to vent their frustrations on the closest person available if not the intended target. I would check domestic battery reports in the area or a similar situation. Where did she work?Was it a disgruntled customer? Whoever did it either has children or they knew her personally. Enough speculation..lol but overall its just a tragedy, senseless tragedy.I just pray that the child wont remember any of this or that she slept through it all.

[mememe4u]

I get a feeling about murders like this; usually my feelings are correct. In this case I feel that there are two ways to go:
1. the husband because the fact he was out of town was odd and the fact that he called his sister-in-law to go see about a fax he didn't want his wife to see was also a strange thing. It could just have been a way for his wife's body to be discovered and for his little girl to be found and taken care of.
It is also possible that he wanted his wife's family to find Michelle because he had something against them if he and Michelle were having problems.
2. The other avenue would be to look at the friends with whom Michelle spent her last evening. Was she having an affair with someone at work, (perhaps the same someone who kidnapped and murdered the other girl from her company) and he stayed after the others left then got mad and killed her.
I donno but I'd have to know a little more before I can get a good feel for who did it and why. These folks in NC are VERY closed mouthed and just about leak proof. That's okay in my book but makes it hard for one to get a drift on the real killer.
ta

[friendsmom63]

the husband has cooperated. in all aspects. plus he had to be almost carried at his wife's funeral. this isn't laci peterson, thank god, and ppl that post messages after reading ONE article on ONE partisan news source need to check their information. whether he's innocent or guilty, his rights must be protected and as a widower should be supported until and unless he is charged and convicted in this crime, which won't happen.

[mememe4u]

Not sure to whom friendsmom63 was directing her comments, but I, for one, am reserving final judgment until the REAL murderer stands up! Maybe the husband isn't guilty BUT that hasn't been established one way or the other. He is the most likely subject and unless and until he is cleared, we won't know to go on to theory number 2. I am an impartial onlooker but a very interested one, nonetheless and I capitalize my sentences.
Ta

[friendsmom63]

i was directing my comments toward people that spend their time hungrily waiting for tragedies like this one so they can take out whatever agression they have on the man involved. domestic violence is terrible, but there are real men out there, ones that don't kill their wives, ones that don't have secret mistresses, and ones that don't even have drinking problems or internet porn addictions!! so before judging, haters, look at more than one news source because dear, i don't know if you've noticed since you were so busy marveling your capitalization prowess, the media CHOOSES what to air and what sort of standpoint it came from. and it's important to be well-educated and well-rounded in your sources. i'm sure you know that, because obviously you've gone to college!

[friendsmom63]

and i'm sure the real murderer will stand up very soon. they very often do. uh...

[aerobics101]

This is difficult for anyone but the persons involved in this killing to answer. There could be many twists and turns but, the very fact that she spent the evening the night before with someone else could be the reason she was murdered. What makes the husband call her sister to get a fax he doesn't want her to see? Too many odd situations for us to decide what happened but, we'll find out and then what? The young woman is dead, the child is without her mother, the whole situation is life altering for her loved ones. May God watch over them.

[frmrteach]

I just heard the news about my former student, received a phone call from my sister who saw it on TV and an e-mail from a former faculty member. How sad it is that most of the published comments are about the who, when and why! There is quite a bit of finger pointing by people who don't know much more than the what has been printed or reported. Only one person knows for sure and that will eventually become public knowledge. Let's spend this time commenting about the loss of a wonderful young lady, a Mom, a sister, a daughter, a friend! My heart goes out to her sister Meredith, her Mom (who was the Cheerleading Coach) and the rest of the Fischer and Young family. As a former teacher, I will always have a spot in my heart for her.

[cjr123456]

What about the 5 month old baby growing inside her no one seems to talk about that this was a double murder and also the murder of the innocense of a sweet 2 year old little girl my god what a tragedy and if the husband didnt do it then i will feel bad for him but this is pretty suspicious out of town how convienent and to call his sister n law to pick up a fax yeah ok i dont buy it that doesnt make any sense and like judge judy says if it doesnt make sense it isnt true well thats my 2 cents bye

[mememe4u]

Other issues are: Did her sister find the fax? What kind of fax was it? Why didn't her husband have the fax sent someplace closer to where he was so he could pick it up himself if he was so afraid Michelle would see it? (I used to have my faxes sent to Office Max or Office Depot before I got my fax machine.) Did Jason ever call her sister before and ask her to do errands for him? There are all kinds of things that go on everyday in people's lives and so what happened that day her sister found Michelle's body could have been something that happened before or something that was not out of the ordinary (other than Michelle's body being found): only her sister can tell us that.
Also, who were the friends who were with her that evening? How many were there? What was the evening like? etc. etc. etc. These are all questions I ask when I hear a news report about it. I do not take for gospel everything one station says. I know they have an agenda and sometimes it is too much to take. But I try to sift through the stuff and try to glean something reasonable out of all of it. That's the best anyone can do until those investigating the crime come forth and tell us what's going on.
Ta for now.
Peace.