On Tuesday evening, a Flowery Branch man remained in the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond after being arrested the night before in connection with a murder that recently took place in Duluth.

Michael Douglas Fox, 45, was arrested by the Hall County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team at an Atlanta Highway residence at about 9:30 p.m. Monday.

Investigators with the Gwinnett County Police Department requested the assistance of the sheriff’s department after getting information that a man wanted for murder in Gwinnett County was possibly at the residence, located in the 5900 block of Atlanta Highway near Gaines Ferry Road in southern Hall County.

Due to the nature of the charges and the suspect’s violent past, the Hall County SWAT team was called in to handle the arrest, Hall County Sheriff’s
Maj. Jeff Strickland said.

Investigators with Gwinnett County police developed leads in the investigation and received tips that gave them probable cause to arrest Fox in connection with a murder that happened Sept. 28 at an Abbotts Bridge Road residence, Cpl. Illana Spellman said.

She said James Elliott told responding officers that night that he had gone to North Georgia to look at real estate property.

She said when he returned home that evening, he told officers he found his home had been burglarized and his wife, 66-year-old Jerry Ann Elliott, was dead on the floor in the home.

A preliminary investigation showed there was evidence of forced entry into the home.

Investigators have canvassed the Duluth neighborhood in search of information. Spellman said it is unknown what items, if any, were taken from the home.

The cause of Elliott’s death is still unknown. Spellman could not confirm if Fox knew the Elliott family.

Spellman could not specify what leads were given to investigators to connect Fox to the murder. Since there might be other suspects in the case, she said investigators do not want to jeopardize the investigation.