North Carolina law enforcement arrested a man on charges of kidnapping and killing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier out on her route.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said William Craig Durham, 56, was arrested in the death of Brandi Reynolds, 35. The rural letter carrier was found dead Friday in a residence in Hays, about 72 miles northwest of Charlotte.
Mr. Durham is accused of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree murder. He is being held without bond and is due in court on July 8.
Ms. Reynolds had worked for the U.S. Postal Service for more than six years. USPS Inspector Michael Martel told NBC News she was working her route at the time of the incident.
Court records and releases from state law enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service did not specify how Mr. Durham purportedly killed Ms. Reynolds. The National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, the victim’s union, said she was “fatally shot.”
Union officials said in a release that “this senseless and horrific act of violence should never have happened. Brandi’s death is a devastating reminder of the dangers rural letter carriers face each day as they faithfully serve the American public.”
Ms. Reynolds’ death occurred just months after her husband died in a car accident before Christmas, and leaves her two daughters orphaned, according to NBC News.
Julie Smith, who had her mail delivered by Ms. Reynolds, told WXLV-TV she was “outgoing, friendly, usually never missed a beat. We could count on her. Like I said, punctuality. I think if you ask anybody in the community, they would probably tell you the same thing. … I always looked forward to her vehicle come up around our driveway, and now I know that’s not gonna happen.”
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