2 nuns found murdered in their rural Mississippi home

Crime scene tape. — (Image credit: iStock)

Two nuns who worked as nurse practitioners at a medical clinic in rural Mississippi were found murdered in their home Thursday morning.

Maureen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, said there were signs of a break-in at their home in Durant and their vehicle was missing. Authorities did not release a motive, and said it's unclear if religion had anything to do with it. They also did not say if there are any suspects. The Rev. Greg Plata told The Associated Press police told him the women, identified as 68-year-old Sister Paula Merrill and Sister Margaret Held, were stabbed. "They were two of the sweetest, most gentle women you can imagine," Plata said. "Their vocation was helping the poor."

While working at the Lexington Medical Clinic, the nuns provided medical care for people who otherwise couldn't afford to go to the doctor. "They'll help anybody they can help," Lexington Medical Clinic manager Lisa Dew told AP. "They'll give you the shirt off their back." Merrill worked for more than 30 years in Mississippi. She was originally from Massachusetts, and joined the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky in 1979. Held was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.