PAULDING, Ohio — UPDATE: The following story has been updated to include statements made by Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers.
A Paulding County man was arrested Thursday after admitting to killing a married couple.
Clay Dockery, 23, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder. He was arrested in Ashtabula County.
According to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office, Celecitas Pelegrino Williams, 60, and her husband, Bruce Williams, 81, were found dead on their property located on Road 123 in Latty Township. Officers were conducting a welfare check after the woman's coworkers reported she had not been showing up to work or answering her phone in recent days.
The man was found dead in a barn. Police said "preliminary observation" led them to believe someone killed the couple.
As the scene was being processed, police received information that the couple had recent interaction with Dockery. Dockery was found in possession of a vehicle owned by Bruce Williams.
Dockery was also charged with vehicle theft in summer 2021. Paulding County Sheriff Jason Landers said that could be the motive, "but we won't know until he decides to talk to us."
Landers said the county has seen only eight or nine homicides in the last 10 years.
"It's so sad when it involves local people on both sides," Landers added. "It's awful for the family of the victims, and then the defendant has family here too, so it's sad for a lot of people."
An arraignment date for Dockery has not been set. He will eventually be extradited back to Paulding County.
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