The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a possible homicide of a Kiln woman who was found dead last week.

Hancock County Sheriff Chief Investigator Kenny Hurt said Monday that Vera Rebecca Johnson, 61, was found dead at her home in the Salem Community last Thursday.

Hancock County Jail records show that Johnson’s address was Highway 43 in Hancock County. Johnson had been arrested on July 7 for a controlled substance violation, records show.

The Mississippi Crime Lab sent a investigative unit to Johnson’s home on Friday, officials said.

Hurt said an autopsy was performed this weekend by forensic pathologist Dr. Paul McGary and the results are inconclusive.

“Dr. McGary wrote pending on the autopsy report,” Hurt said. “There are just some things we need to check out. Right now, we are treating this as a homicide. We treat any death as a homicide as a precaution until we can prove otherwise. Right now, we cannot release any other information because the case is still under investigation.”