Missing Portsmouth man is now a homicide case

PORTSMOUTH

Until now, police had steadfastly called the April disappearance of a 49-year-old Sterling Point resident a missing-person case.

But Wednesday in court, a homicide detective conceded that there was no doubt that James Kenneth Britt was dead and that police are in the midst of an investigation to determine who killed him.

Detective Mark Luck was called to testify for a civil proceeding in which the victim's mother sought to have her son declared dead.

Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Melvin granted the request after hearing testimony that included Luck's description of what police found at Britt's home when the family asked them to check on him.

Luck said blood saturated areas of the house, including carpet down to the padding in several rooms, and a sofa. Blood had splattered the ceiling in the living room and also was found in the tub and on other furniture.

Luck's testimony indicated that someone had gone to great lengths to try to hide evidence.

The smell of bleach and fresh paint filled the house. One whole wall had been painted and others touched up. Bleach had been used on bloodstains, and a large piece of padding was draped over the sink in the garage.

An 8-foot-by-12-foot section of the wall-to-wall carpet had been cut out in the living room.

Gregory M. Pomije, the family's lawyer, said the only sense he could make of it was that it had been used to carry Britt's body out of the house.

His body still hasn't been found.

Police sent about 100 pieces of forensic evidence to the state lab. So far, results match the blood on those items to Britt's DNA, which police took from his toothbrush and other personal items.

No samples have come back with the DNA or blood of a suspect.

Britt's mother, Charlotte, cried on the stand as she told the judge how she was trying to deal with her son's affairs. He had picked her up when she was released from a hospital stay the Saturday before he disappeared.

He owned properties and had a wholesale car business. He had thousands of dollars in bank accounts that had not been touched since one of her son's work associates called to say he had not shown up as usual.

Britt's mother and brother, William, described him as a workaholic - a mechanical engineer who bought old cars and restored them for sale. He worked with car dealers and auction businesses statewide and was frugal with his money, they said.

He carried his briefcase everywhere, and it was filled with titles to the vehicles he owned. That was missing, as were three of his cars. Police have recovered titles and vehicles, but the briefcase is still missing.

Britt's mother filed the petition asking the court to make the determination of her son's death in June.

Britt's brother offered a 1,700-square-foot house on almost an acre in Gates County, N.C., as a reward for anyone providing information that leads to the recovery of James Britt's body.

Janie Bryant, (757) 446-2453, janie.bryant@pilotonline.com