By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

A coroner’s report paints a grim picture of violence in the deaths of a former Twin Cities couple found slain earlier this month in Zephyrhills, Fla.

Meanwhile the only suspect in the case, Kyle Aric Thomas, 27, is being held in a Georgia jail on a probation violation charge stemming from an earlier drug conviction.

Florida has issued warrants charging Thomas with two counts of first-degree murder. Zephyrhills police Chief Russ Barnes said Thursday, “We do not know at this time when he will be served with the warrant or whether he will waive or fight extradition.”

Thomas is the son of Craig Thomas, 54, one of the victims. The bodies of Craig Thomas and his girlfriend, Irene “Rita” Martin, 45, were found sprawled across the floor of the master bathroom in the mobile home they shared on Jan. 4.

Martin’s sister, Margaret Martin of Otisfield, had called Zephyrhills police that morning asking that they check on her sister’s well-being after she wasn’t able to reach her by phone.

Thomas and Martin lived in Lewiston and Auburn during the 1990s before moving to Florida in 1998. Martin leaves her mother and several siblings who live in the Twin Cities and Oxford County.

Barnes said he’s received a preliminary report from the Pinellas-Pasco County Medical Examiner’s Office that lists the causes of death for both victims as “sharp force injuries.” He added that “blunt trauma” is listed as a contributing cause of death.

The injuries to Craig Thomas (consist) of seven stab wounds to the chest, one entering the heart, a cut on his left side and other lacerations, skull fractures, and scrapes and bruises on his head, face, torso and extremities, Barnes said in a statement.

Injuries to Irene Martin included a large neck cut, six scalp lacerations, a stab wound near her left ear, cuts on her face, neck, shoulder and chest, and bruises on her face, chest and extremities, he added.

Barnes said, “The report does not list an estimated time of death, nor does it specifically describe any weapon(s) used.”

He said the police department isn’t releasing any information of what it believes may be weapons or possible weapons used in the slayings “at this time.”

The investigation continues, he said.

“Despite the large amount of progress,” he said, “as always in such cases, there is still a lot of legwork to do in this investigation between now and trial.”