A man has been arrested and charged for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a longtime postal worker and mother of two who was delivering mail in North Carolina. William Craig Durham, 56, allegedly shot Brandi Reynolds dead, leaving her children orphaned just months after their father died in a car accident in December.
Reynolds, 35, was found dead following a call for help to authorities in Hays, North Carolina, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, according to NBC News.
“I can confirm that Brandi Reynolds was delivering mail on her route when the incident occurred,” U.S. Postal Inspector Michael Martel said.
Who is William Craig Durham?
Durham, 56, of the community of Roaring River, was charged with first-degree kidnapping and murder by prosecutors in Wilkes County. He was arrested on the day of the murder, and remained in Wilkes County Jail on Tuesday, according to a third-party inmate information service used by the county.
Reynolds was shot dead on Friday just before 4:16 pm in Hayes, North Carolina, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Durham allegedly restrained Reynolds and removed “the victim from one place to another without the consent of the victim, according to an arrest report obtained by the Charlotte Observer.
Also Read | Who was Brandi Reynolds? North Carolina postal worker kidnapped, murdered while delivering mail; 2 kids left orphaned
A warrant filed in district court claimed that Durham committed kidnapping “by unlawfully restraining the victim, removing the victim from one place to another without the consent of the victim.” It added that Durham carried out the alleged kidnapping “for the purpose of terrorizing” Reynolds and “doing serious bodily injury” to her.
District court Judge Robert J. Crumpton has ordered that Durham remain in custody without bond, citing his “significant criminal record.” According to state prison records, Durham has served time for second-degree kidnapping, assault on a female and possession of a gun by a felon, among other offenses.
An investigation into the murder is being conducted jointly by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
