Photo: North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
A United States Postal Service worker was kidnapped and killed while delivering mail in Hays, North Carolina on Friday, June 26, according to authorities. The Wilkes County Sheriff's Office responded to a call for help at 304 Monteith Acres at about 4:16 p.m., where they discovered the body of Brandi Reynolds, 35, a USPS rural letter carrier and mother of two daughters.
Investigators arrested 56-year-old William Craig Durham in connection with the crime. He has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. According to court documents, Durham is accused of restraining Reynolds and moving her without her consent, reportedly for the purpose of “terrorizing” her and “doing serious bodily injury." Witnesses said an armed man in a gray Nissan Altima was seen threatening a woman in a USPS vehicle, and neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots.
Durham, who is unemployed and lives about nine miles from the scene, appeared before a judge on Monday and was ordered to be held without bond due to his “significant criminal record,” including prior convictions for second-degree kidnapping, assault on a female, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The United States Postal Service confirmed that Reynolds was killed while performing her duties, stating, “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and co-workers at the Hays Post Office.” Reynolds’ death comes just months after her husband, Brent Reynolds, died in a car crash, leaving their two daughters orphaned.
The investigation, led by the US Postal Inspection Service, Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, is ongoing. No motive has been released.