Cherokee County authorities are currently investigating the triple homicide which occurred just after midnight Sunday

The incident took place around 12:30 Monday morning at a location in the Round Mountain community.

The area in which the incident occurred is extremely isolated; from County Road 48, you go one-and-a-half miles to County Road 664, and then travel just over a mile on a one-lane dirt road to the site.

As authorities arrived on the scene the suspect’s vehicle a 1994 Ford Mustang sideswiped a deputy’s truck and a chase ensued, ending in Sand Rock when the suspect wrecked.

At that point 38 year old Donnie Lee Abernathy was taken into custody; he was first treated at a local hospital, then transferred to the Cherokee County Detention Center, where he was charged with Capital Murder, First Degree Kidnapping, with First Degree Criminal Mischief and with Attempting to Elude Police.

A female who was abducted from the residence was also in the vehicle when the crash took place; according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency accident report, she was listed as 25 year old Jerrica Hamilton, a resident of Cedar Bluff; Hamilton was transported to a local hospital, where she was treated and released.

According to Coroner Jeremy Deaton the victims have been identified as – 71 year old Sylvia Sue Duffe (pronounced Duffy), Clara Lee Edwards, age 68 and Pamela Collette O’Shel, 49, all of Centre.

Officers from all local police agencies, the Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency responded to the scene. The JSU Center for Applied Forensics has been processing the crime scene.

The investigation into the matter is being headed up by the Major Crimes Unit.