North Ala. man charged in deaths of dad, brother
 

Associated Press - October 12, 2008 10:34 AM ET 

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (AP) - A north Alabama man is being held without bond on capital murder charges in the shooting deaths of his father and older brother.

Jackson County authorities say 37-year-old Douglas Bennett Pyke of Bryant was charged after the bodies of 71-year-old Teddy "Ted" Pyke and 39-year-old Greg Pyke were found early Friday near their home on Jackson County Road 489 in Bryant.

Further details about the location of the bodies and motive for the killings are not yet available. Sheriff Dennis Miller says the victims had been missing for several days. He says Douglas Pyke lives in a home near the victims and was arrested Thursday night.
 

Information from: The Huntsville Times,  http://www.al.com/hsvtimes/hsv.html

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

New Information

Arrest Made in Double Homicide in Jackson County, AL

Posted: Oct 10, 2008 06:51 AM PDT 

Updated: Oct 10, 2008 01:32 PM PDT 

Douglas Pyke
 

The Jackson County, Alabama Sheriff's Department arrested a man for the murder of his father and his brother.

Authorities say 37 year old Douglas Pyke will be charged with two counts of capital murder.  They say he shot and killed 71-year old Teddy Pyke and 39-year-old Greg Pyke.  The murdered men were reported missing this past weekend. They lived together on County Road 489 and Douglas Pyke lived a short distance away. 

Detectives questioned Douglas Pyke and that led them to a grave site Thursday night near Higdon where a forensic team from Huntsville discovered two bodies in shallow graves Friday morning.  Both had been shot. 

Douglas Pyke is behind bars at the Jackson County Jail. So far a motive for the murders has not been revealed.  Check with WRCBtv.com for further details on this developing story. 

Bryant man charged in deaths

By Dewayne Patterson
The Daily Sentinel 

Published October 11, 2008

A Bryant man is in police custody in connection with the deaths of his father and brother.

Douglas Bennett Pyke, 37, of Bryant has been arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for the murders of his father, Teddy “Ted” Pyke, 71 of Bryant and his brother, Greg Pyke, 39, of Bryant.

Jackson County Sheriff Dennis Miller said a family member reported Ted Pyke and Greg Pyke missing on Thursday.

“Deputies soon suspected that it was more than a missing persons situation,” said Miller. “Investigators then began working on the case.”

Miller said Douglas Pyke was arrested Thursday evening

The Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office and Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Department worked late into the night on Thursday in the County Road 489 area in Bryant.

Miller said a location was discovered late Thursday. Officers secured the location overnight.

“We returned Friday morning with the needed equipment,” said Miller. “We recovered the two bodies and also recovered a pistol that we believe to be the murder weapon.”

The bodies were discovered in shallow graves, however Miller did not release the location. Both victims had been shot.

District Attorney Charlie Rhodes said charges will be filed for capital murder based on the murder of two or more persons.

“The defendant is not required to have bond set on a capital murder charge,” said Rhodes.

The investigation continued Friday morning.

“Forensic Sciences, as well as the Sheriff’s Office, is still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses,” said Rhodes. “ We do not believe anyone other than Doug Pyke was involved in the killings.”

Miller said the victims lived together on County Road 489 in Bryant, and the defendant lived in a separate residence a short distance away.

Authorities are not releasing information concerning the motive for the murders at this time. 

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 , 12:00 a.m. Obituaries for October 15, 2008

ALABAMA

Greg Pyke

BRYANT -- Gregory "Greg" Stuart Pyke, 39, died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008.

He worked for Chisnall Logging Company in Stevenson, Ala., and was a member of Floral Crest Seventh-day Adventist Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sherrie Lynn Pyke; and father, Teddie Pyke.

Survivors include his son, Charles Pyke, Newport, Wash.; two stepsons, Steven Daniel McCurdy, Newport, Wash., Ethan Reeves, Bryant; brother, Douglas Pyke, Bryant; mother, Helen Pyke, Ooltewah.

A joint memorial service for Greg and Teddie will be held at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday at Floral Crest Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bryant, Ala. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT at the church.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Pyke Family.

Arrangements by Moore Funeral Home, Bryant, Ala.

Teddie Pyke

BRANT -- Teddie "Ted" Aldon Pyke, 71, died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008.

He was a former elementary school teacher; he worked for the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park and retired from McKee Baking Co.

Ted served in the U.S. Navy; he was a member of the American Legion and was a member of Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Gertrude Pyke; and son, Gregory Pyke.

Survivors include his daughter, Emily Ruth Hernandez, Ooltewah; son, Douglas Pyke, Bryant; sister, Nytta Norton, Bryant; brother, Richard "Dick" Pyke, Wallawalla, Wash.; five grandchildren, Charles Pyke, Nickolai Hernandez, Ronin Hernandez, Judah Hernandez and Isaac Pyke.

A joint memorial service for Greg and Teddie will be held at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday at Floral Crest Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bryant, Ala.

The family will receive friends from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT at the church.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Pyke family.

Arrangements by Moore Funeral Home, Bryant.

Dear Friends,

By now you have doubtless learned from Friday's news reports the basic facts of the death of my son Greg and his father. Their deaths are an immeasurable loss to me and to the rest of the family. Please pray especially for Greg's son Charlie, who is twenty and has been faced with the duty of leading us in the funeral arrangements and in closing off the details of his dad's life. While he has the support of friends and family, he is very clear with us that he wants to do as his dad did and bear whatever responsibility falls upon him. Pray too for my daughter Emily. She has lost father and brother while at the same time sharing with me the terrible reality that her brother Doug will be sentenced either with life in prison or with the death penalty for the confessed murder of Greg and Ted. And pray for Doug's four-year-old son Issac whose mother died two years ago and who will now grow up without a father.

I know how Adam and Eve felt a few years past Eden when Abel died at his brother's hand. But just as God gave them hard work to do when they lost paradise, He has given me work. I plan to return to the classroom after mid-term break, for work will help me keep my balance now more than anything else could. Thank you for your love and comfort.

A joint  memorial service will be held for Ted and Greg on Thursday at 2:00 Eastern time at the Floral Crest Seventh-day Adventist Church, Bryant, Alabama. The church is small, so do not feel you should come unless you personally knew Ted and wish to honor his memory with your presence. Greg will be buried beside his wife Sherrie at Floral Crest. Ted wished his ashes to be strown in the ocean at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. Emily and I will do that next summer.

My brother has come to help me through the details of what I must do now. We really don't need to be showered with food, for our main duties will keep us on Sand Mountain between now and Thursday.

Helen Pyke