Archdeacon Julius Dike was found dead on Tuesday, Feb 9, alongside his wife and maid at their home after they failed to show up in church the day after the crusade, and none of the members heard a word from them.

Before the baffling death, Archdeacon Julius Dike was the Priest-in-charge of the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Abayi, Ariaria in Abia North LGA.

A report by Lindaikejisblog.com said that on Monday, February 8, the priest and his family returned home after the said crusade which was held on the church premises.

However, the priest was not present in church to conduct service the following morning and none of his family members was in church either.

Their absence triggered suspicion in some church members who thought it prudent to check up on them at his apartment.

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When they arrived at the apartment, they found the doors locked and several knocks on the door were not answered.

The worried church members sensed something was amiss, so they broke into the apartment only to find the priest, the wife and their maid lifeless and there was no sign of assault on their bodies.

They rushed them to a private hospital where they were confirmed dead, reports say.

A source in the church, who spoke with The Nation, said that they were yet to know the cause of their death but added that they are suspecting food poisoning as they could not trace any sign that they could have inhaled generator fume.

The source added that the children could have died along with their parents if they had not gone back to their various boarding schools.