The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case of a man being questioned by Port Gibson police in the weekend death of a homeless woman, Chief Calvin Jackson said this morning.

The family of Dexter Watson, 40, 907 Vine St., asked the state agency to take the lead because his brother, Terrence, is a sworn officer on the Port Gibson police force, Jackson said.

Watson is on parole for malicious mischief, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections records. Police have questioned him in the death of Patricia Dotson, 35, whose body was found behind First Baptist Church on Farmer Street in Port Gibson Sunday morning.

An autopsy showed she died of stab wounds to the face and trauma to the head. Investigators are awaiting the results of other tests from the Mississippi Crime Lab.

Dotson had family in Port Gibson, including her grandfather, Constable Roosevelt Dotson.

Gunshots reported fired on Tanglewood

Three reports of shots fired into occupied dwellings were taken by Vicksburg police Thursday.

All came from the 4300 block of Tanglewood Drive and were described to police as a drive-by shooting, police Sgt. Sandra Williams said.

The homes were occupied by six adults and two children at the time of the incident, reported to police at 11:21 p.m., Williams said.

No injuries and no vehicle description were reported, Williams said.

Thousands in items reported stolen in city

Electronics, cash and other items were reported missing in two residential burglaries worked by Vicksburg police Thursday.

• In the first, $480 and a safe valued at $80 were reported taken from a home at 2:47 p.m. in the 100 block of Elizabeth Circle.

• At 5:08 p.m., various items valued at $7,225 were reported taken from a home in the 3300 block of Drummond Street. They were a Kodak camera, at $65; three Emerson flat screen televisions, $750 total; two Polo hats, $25 each; three laptop computers, one a Gateway and two Dell models, $5,500 total; a $40 charger; a $50 case; two iPod devices, $720 total; a Mizuno baseball bat, $25; and an LG cell phone, $50.

Damage was reported to a window on a back door of the residence, Williams said.