Pamela Laverne Long is Person of Interest in Byrd, Melanie Billings Murders

Pamela Laverne Long is a "person of interest" in the Billings murders, according to law enforcement. A better photo will be up as soon as available. Updates below on Pamela Laverne Long has been located.

Pamela Laverne Long

Police and Sheriff Departments are looking for Ms. Long, who has seemed to disappear from the area since the murders, and FOXNews is saying Long is "currently in hiding or on the run." She is said to be a prominent resident of Pensacola, perhaps the owner of at several properties and possibly several antique stores. Authorities emphasized that Pamela Laverne Long is a "person of interest" in the Byrd and Melanie Billings' murders, and not a suspect at this time. Authorities are believed to want to speak to Pamela Laverne Long as a "witness."

Brian Wilson at FOXNews was in the Sheriff Department's news conference at noon today in Pensacola. Wilson is reporting that Long rented a property to Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., who is said to be the "instigator" of the crime.

Adding to the mystery, Sheriff Morgan mentioned this odd fact:

Morgan said it is significant that the surveillance camera was not disarmed at the time of the robberies, which he has described as "well planned" and well executed." Morgan said he believes it was someone's job to disable the equipment, but that person failed to do so.

It is not clear whether authorities believe Long might have been responsible for disabling the security equipment, but they believe someone was responsible for that task but failed to perform.

Authorities made it clear today that they do not want to "harass" Ms. Long but they do want to talk to her as a person of interest in the Billings murders. Stay tuned for updates.

Update: 7-15-09, 2:02 p.m. CDT
Brian Wilson from FOXNews says that Pamela Laverne Long and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr. were often seen in each other's company. She owned properties and businesses and there are liens on some of those entities, indicating she was possibly having financial problems.

The security system in the Billings home was activated at the time of the murders, confirming suspicions that someone was charged with disarming the system, but failed to do so.

Update 7-15-09 2:40 p.m. CDT:
FOXNews has just reported that Pamela Laverne Long has been located. When her photo was shown this morning, the Sheriff's office says the phones "started ringing off the hook." More details coming. Other remarks included that the circumstances of where Long was located are "very interesting," but those details are not yet available.