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BETHANY — Patricia Smyth heard howling in the wee hours of the morning Saturday.

“I thought at first that it was a pack of coyotes,” she said Monday. “But it was just all the dogs in the area. To be honest, it was a little scary.”

About 15 minutes later, she heard ambulances racing by.

The next day, she would find out that her neighbors down the road had been shot and killed.

Residents on and near Pinewood Road in the Rockingham County community of Bethany were on edge Monday, reeling from news that Douglas “Troy” French and his wife, La-Donna Moseley French, were slain in their home.

“It’s not something that’s typical of this area,” a neighbor who identified himself as Ronnie said. “There’s a big difference in someone breaking in and stealing your stuff and someone breaking in and going to the extent that they (the apparent intruder) did. It’s a weird feeling.”

A Duke Energy truck and several cars were in the driveway of the French house. A dog lay in the yard. A woman at the house declined to comment Monday as did many other people in the neighborhood.

One man nearby answered the door with gun in hand when a reporter came calling. He too declined to comment.

Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said that he has increased patrols in the area and that his department is working with agents from the State Bureau of Investigation to track down any possible leads.

“I will remain concerned until the person or persons responsible for this crime are brought to justice,” he said.

The Frenches’ 19-yearold daughter, Whitley, called 911 at 2 a.m. Saturday.

In the call, she said that an intruder had come into her room and “started jumping on me and they were trying to cover my mouth!”

Her parents heard her screaming and the intruder shot them and ran out. Whitley, a student at East Carolina University, said that her arm was bleeding and that she may have been cut. She was treated at Annie Penn Hospital and released Saturday.

The Frenches also had a son, Hunter, who was not there at the time. Page said he believes he was traveling for a sporting event.

Medical personnel arrived at the house quickly, but law enforcement took close to 20 minutes to show up. Page said response times can vary depending on the location of the caller and whether deputies are responding to calls in other parts of the county. The area where the French family lives is fairly isolated and surrounded by farmland.

“I know that when you’re in an emergency every minute can seem like 10 minutes,” he said. “And in a perfect world we’d like to have an officer stationed on every corner, but we can’t afford to do that. But I am proud of the men and women in this department and the work they do.”

Smyth, who moved to the neighborhood in October, said Troy and LaDonna — both Rockingham County natives — were always friendly.

“I can’t say I knew anyone who had a bad thing to say about them,” she said. “There’s no reason or excuse for this to happen.”

Troy French was an air traffic controller in the Navy, from which he was honorably discharged, according to the couple’s obituary.

He had worked for Duke Energy for 22 years at the time of his death. He will be buried with military rites.

LaDonna French was a pianist for the Reidsville Bible Chapel, where the family worshipped. She had worked in patient services for Shapiro Eye Care for more than 11 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people contribute to an account that will be set up for Whitley and Hunter.

Family visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Reidsville Christian Center. The funeral will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Reidsville Christian Center.

Staff Writer Dioni L. Wise contributed to this report.

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com