Man named 'person of interest' in Woodstock homicide
Updated 5:05 p.m.
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Staff Report - Published: July 2, 2009
Police have declared the death of a Woodstock woman to be a homicide and named a local transient as a person of interest.
Rayneeta Woodward, 78, was found dead Wednesday afternoon in her home at 703 Curtis Hollow Road, according to a Vermont State Police news release.
Police found Woodward's body under a pile of clothing and found a large amount of fresh blood throughout the Curtis Hollow Road residence.
Today, Dr. Steven Shapiro of the Chief Medical Examiner's Office determined Woodward died as a result of blunt force trauma.
As authorities investigated Woodward's death they learned of an ongoing investigation into a number of burglaries in the area and a suspect in those burglaries had been identified but not yet located.
The suspect in those burglaries, Charles "Punky" Haynes, 51, of Bridgewater, couldn't be located but was believed to be living in the woods or unoccupied camps in the area.
On Wednesday, while police dogs were attempting to follow a track from Woodward's home, they received information that Haynes may be at a nearby unoccupied residence on Curtis Hollow Road.
When officers arrived at that location, they heard crashing in the woods behind the residences and found the rear door ajar.
Within minutes, officers located Haynes less than 30 yards from the residence.
Haynes has been charged with felony unlawful trespass and is being held on $50,000 bail as well as two additional counts of burglary based on the earlier investigation into the string of area burglaries.
Police have not named Haynes a suspect in Woodward's death, but they have called him a person of interest based on the close proximity of his arrest to the scene of Woodward's death.
Further forensic information will be conducted on evidence collected at the scene.
Vermont State Police continue to ask if anyone saw anything or anyone suspicious in the area of Curtis Hollow Road on Wednesday, to call the Royalton Barracks at 872-2112.
Charles "Punky" Haynes