Mrs. Alford, who owned Carriage House Psychological Associates in Roanoke Rapids, died Friday in a fire which was set following a home invasion and kidnapping at their Lake Gaston home.

The license plate number is BDH-7568, the SBI said in a statement released this evening.

Mrs. Alford, 76, was kidnapped and robbed, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, said.

Mr. Alford made it out of the house and is being treated at Duke University Hospital.

The sheriff’s office said two masked intruders invaded the home on Mulberry Court Friday morning.

One of the intruders drove Mrs. Alford to an undisclosed State Employees' Credit Union branch in Roanoke Rapids and forced her to withdraw money from an ATM, while the second intruder stayed in the home with her husband, the sheriff’s office said.

Mrs. Alford was driven back to the house on Lake Gaston, where the intruders beat her husband before setting fire to the house while the Alfords were tied up inside.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at 252-257-3456 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-779-8188 (M-F, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.) or 1-800-334-3000 (after hours and weekends).