Friend Remembers Woman Slain in Church

Wynne, Ark - Linda Peeler says the last 24 hours of her life remind her of living a nightmare. Sunday morning, a phone call about her best friend, would turn her world upside down.

"She just started hollering Lil's dead, and that's...then I broke down."

Her longtime next door neighbor, for the last 24 years, Lillian Wilson, was dead.

"You just don't expect anything like this to happen in a community like this, and the way it happened, cause you don't expect it to happen at a church."

According to the Sheriff, Wilson stopped at this church to pick up supplies, before heading to another church. But when she never made it to the service, the pastor came searching for her, here, and made a grisly discovery inside the sanctuary.

The Cross County Sheriff says they are searching for two people in connection with the crime, and they believe the pair is traveling in Wilson's car.

Peeler says after Wilson's husband Art passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2002, Lillian stayed busy, "She was a kind and giving person. She would do anything, for anybody."

She had a soft spot for animals. In fact, she was building space in her backyard to take in cats who were victims of a recent storm.

"She was taking us through and showing us what it was going to look like and everything. And was really excited about getting them over here where she could take care of them."

One day later, Wilson was gone. Peeler says she is still in shock about losing such a dear friend.

"I talk to her everyday. I can't imagine a day without her...she was my best friend."

Police are searching for two people who are believed to be traveling in Wilson's 2003 silver/gray Mercury Marquis with Arkansas tags 737-NGN. The pair are possible transients.

If you have any information call the Cross County Sheriff's Department at 870-238-5700.