The uncle of a Cary woman found stabbed to death in her home 13 months ago was arrested in Vicksburg Tuesday on charges related to her death.

Tony Stamps, age and address unavailable, was charged with obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence in the Sept. 23, 2009, double homicide of Karitha Carroll, 31, and her 3-year-old daughter, Jamaya Carroll.

Authorities said Stamps discovered their bodies at Karitha Carroll’s home on U.S. 61, when he went to find out why his niece hadn’t reported for work or responded to calls and text messages from family and co-workers.

Karitha Carroll was found on a bedroom floor with multiple stab wounds to her chest, and Jamaya was found in the bed with multiple slash wounds to her neck.

Sharkey County Sheriff Lindsey Adams said today he could not discuss the charges against Stamps because the investigation was ongoing. He would not rule out the possibility of additional charges being filed against Stamps, who turned himself in to Sharkey County investigators after they contacted him by phone and arranged to pick him up in Vicksburg.

Stamps was being held in Rankin County, Adams said, but was expected to be returned to Sharkey County today for an initial hearing, at which time a judge would set a bond amount.

“We just feel that’s the best place for him right now,” Adams said of Stamps being held outside the county of jurisdiction. He said the decision was made for security purposes.

The sheriff said he would make no recommendations regarding Stamps’ bond. “I’ll leave that up to the judge.”

Stamps moved to Arizona shortly after his niece’s death, Adams said. He had returned to Mississippi for a visit and was preparing to return to Arizona when he was informed of the charges against him.

Warren County officials were not involved in the arrest, Adams said.

In the early stages of the investigation, Sharkey County Coroner Angela Eason said the mother and daughter had been dead about 12 hours when Stamps found their bodies. Wounds indicated that Karitha Carroll had fought with her attacker, but it is believed she knew the person because her body was found in the bedroom and there were few signs of a struggle in the living room.

Carroll had multiple stab wounds to her chest, defensive wounds on her arms and slash wounds to her throat. “All of her wounds were in the front,” Eason said. “Either she was fighting or trying to stop someone from cutting her.”

The toddler died of slash wounds to her throat, and was slashed on her right arm, Eason said.

DNA from family members, friends and others, including an inmate in the Washington County jail, was tested, and a U.S. Marshals fugitive, 45-year-old Robert Lee King, was a potential suspect, but no arrests have been made.

Karitha Carroll was survived by a teen son and daughter. Besides her brother and sister, Jamaya was survived by her father, Archie Sanders III of Vicksburg.