CLEMMONS, NC -- Greeted with cheers from neighbors, work crews demolished the so-called Clemmons "House of Horrors," located at 2749 Knob Hill Drive.
The construction site on Friday was much more than just a demolition zone -- it was a sign of relief and a path setter for the future for neighbors in the community.
Several people set up camping chairs out front of the house to celebrate the destruction. Some were smiling from ear to ear as they watched the walls come down in less than two hours.
It was a day that this particular community has been awaiting for 6 months, ever since the skeletal remains of two men were found buried in a shallow grave the backyard last October.
Now that the house is finally down, neighbors say they can finally move on and start the healing process.
"Can you feel the peace? It's like when you take a deep breath and count to 10 -- like right after you get a massage, like that "woooh wow," said Lauren Hurst, who lives across the street from said house. "Finally, finally we are going to have some peace and calmness."
Peace and calmness are two feelings that neighbors on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons haven't felt for a long time.
"Everytime I ride by here, I get that creepy feeling," said Debbie Tate. Tate doesn't even live in the immediate area. She drove five miles from her home on Old Vineyard Road, just to see the demolition in person.
"I feel like the neighborhood will have peace now because the evil is not here anymore ," said Tate. "That's all he was, pure evil."
"It's hard to put into words," said Mike Kelley. "It's just something that time will heal this tragic situation."
Kelley lives a few doors down and walks his dog, Shiloh, past the "House of Horrors" every morning. He says his family, especially his 15-year-old son, were very shaken up by what had taken place in their neighborhood.
"Finally some closure on what happened here since October," said Kelley. "Be out of sight and out of mind. It's a wonderful day and it's just an official day that we can finally move on and rebuild our neighborhood again."
"The house being gone means it can never happen again," said Hurst. "For the first time in our lives we are going to have some peace and calmness in our neighborhood and finally get our lives back. We have not had our lives for six months."
Hurst and other neighbors agree they would like to see a park built in the vacant lot where the house used to stand.
Workers have already hauled approximately 8-10 loads of rubble to the landfill. By the end of Saturday, crews hope to fully remove all of the remaining brick and rubble, weather permitting. The contractor of the job, Charles Harris, says they hope to have the entire project finished by Wednesday or Thursday, April 30.
BACKGROUND
In October 2014, authorities found two men's remains buried in the backyard of a house on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons. Medical examiners determined they remains were Joshua Frederick Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch, who both went missing in 2009.
Prosecutors charged Pazuzu Algarad and Amber Burch with Wetzler and Welch's murders. They also charged Krystal Matlock with accessory after the fact.
After finding the bodies outside, county inspectors entered the house and found a very disturbing scene. They found "mold, garbage, debris and animal feces" inside and called it "toxic" and "unsafe". Documents filed in the Forysth County courthouse show there were "satanic rituals" and "animal sacrifices" in the house dating back to about 2010. The documents show Pazuzu Algarad performed the rituals "regularly" at the house.
The Forsyth County Housing Department sent letters to the house owners -- Cynthia James, Pazuzu Algarad's mother, and her ex-husband who lives in California. And at a November hearing, officials gave James 30 days to repair the house or face foreclosure. Wells Fargo, the mortgage holder, initiated the foreclosure process in January. In March, County Clerk of Courts granted the foreclosure and gave permission for the property to be auctioned. Wells Fargo won the auction and decided to demolish the house.
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