State police officers walked up to the house on Hill Street in Brushton on a Wednesday morning for a routine welfare check. Nobody answered the door when troopers knocked around 8:30 a.m., but inside, they made a grim discovery. They found 68-year-old Martine Decarr dead alongside Drew Harm.
What started as a simple check on a neighbor turned into an active crime scene in minutes. State police immediately roped off the property and called in specialized teams. Investigators knew right away that something went terribly wrong inside the house.
Medical examiners later confirmed the worst news for the small town. An autopsy at Glens Falls Hospital showed Decarr died from severe skull fractures and brain trauma caused by a gunshot wound.
Dr. Michael Sikirica, the forensic pathologist on the case, officially declared her death a homicide. The test results proved someone shot Decarr inside the home long before officers knocked on the front door.
Decarr lived in the quiet Franklin County community for years. Neighbors along Hill Street knew the block as a peaceful neighborhood where folks usually noticed when something seemed off.
State police worked fast to calm the surrounding area. Troopers reassured nearby families that they were safe and that the person responsible was already dead inside the building.
Detectives spent several days searching the house and collecting physical evidence under court-issued warrants. For those living nearby, the loss leaves a painful gap where a familiar neighbor used to be.
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