“The case is still being investigated by local and state officials and remains a top priority. I along with many others are looking forward to the day when the person/persons are brought to justice for committing this senseless act of violence. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family, especially during this time of the year. "
Halifax County Sheriff Fred Clark
Emma Jean Compton-Layne
Date Of Birth:
March 6th 1965
South Boston, VA
Parents:
Sylvia Whitlow McCurry
(10-14-2017)
Carroll Compton
(Both Deceased)
Siblings:
Carroll Taza Compton
(October 24th 1958-
May 29th 1983)
Residence:
1080 Wild Haven Rd
Nathalie, VA 24577
Spouse:
Russell Wayne Layne
Married in 2007
(Born February 5th 1957
in Pittsylvania, VA)
Date Of Disappearance:
June 17th 2017
Last Known Location:
The Cody Store
in Nathalie, Virginia
Found:
Remains recovered on
November 22nd 2017
buried in a shallow
grave near her home
on Sandy Ridge Rd.
Cause Of Death:
Homicide by
Traumatic Neck Injury
Type & Status:
Murder & Unsolved
“I’m sorry that it’s taking me so long to get you justice, but I gave you my word June 23, 2017 that I will get you justice. I’m not giving up on you, my baby girl. I’m not giving up. I want them to arrest him. I know he murdered my baby sister,” said Krohn.
Agencies:
Halifax County Sheriff's Office
434-476-3334
Pages:
Articles:
Chatham Star Tribune: 11/29/2017 (Emma's Body Found)
Sovanow: 1/11/2018 (Remains identified)
“I feel nothing but pain. When something like this happens, I don’t [know] if there is closure. Well, for me, I don’t see any in the future,” Emma’s sister Shawna told Dateline. “I feel like I’m in a black hole with no beginning and no end.”
Early Life:
Emma Jean Compton was born on March 6th 1965 to parents Sylvia and Carroll Compton in South Boston, VA. Emma Jean Compton grew up with 2 sisters and one brother. Emma attended William Campbell High School and graduated in 1983. Sadly Emma's brother, Carrol Taza Compton would pass away that same year. On February 9th 2007 Emma married Russell Wayne Layne.
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“She was always laughing, always joking, always bringing everybody up, and never put nobody down,” said Ronda Phelps, Emma Layne’s old friend.
“Emma was a ball of sunshine,” said Shawna Krohn, Emma Layne’s sister. “She wasn’t perfect. None of us are, but she had a good heart. She helped anybody and everybody she could.”
Details Of Disappearance:
“I’m very, very disappointed. I think the ball got dropped. I don’t know whose court it’s in, but I wish somebody would pick it up and get to work on this because there’s a murderer running loose in Halifax County. Everybody should be concerned about that. We’ve got a small, teeny petite woman that was brutally murdered, and nobody’s doing anything. It doesn’t make sense to me,” added Phelps.
52 Year Old Emma Compton Layne was last seen at the Convenience Store she owned at 10051 Stage Coach Rd in Nathalie, VA on Saturday June 17th 2017. The Cody Store closed at its normal time that day which was 7 pm. After finishing up closing, Emma left the store at around 7:30 pm. She is believed to have traveled home after closing the store. Since the store wasn't opened on Sundays, Emma had planned to spend Sunday with her mom since it was her birthday. Emma had admitted her mom to a hospital just 2 days prior and was looking forward to visiting her mom on her birthday. Emma never made it to the hospital. The next day her mom called Emma's sister Shawna who lived in Mississippi to ask if she had heard from Emma. Shawna had not. And Shawna wasn't able to get a hold of Emma either. Shawna contacted her other sister Wynona, who lived closer to Emma to go check on her. Wynona arrived at Emma's residence and checked the house. According to Shawna her sister didn't seem to find anything she considered to be out of the ordinary. Emma's Credit Cards, Clothes, Car Keys, Cell Phone, Dog, & her Car were all at the residence.
The Search Begins
On June 19th Emma was reported Missing. The day after Law Enforcement utilized search dogs in and around the residence at 1080 Wild Haven Rd. There were also checks by searchers on the ground. 2 ponds were also drained. But nothing was found. And the case soon went cold....
Wednesday, November 22nd 2017:
Emma is Found
"We are still awaiting additional information from the medical examiner’s office concerning the circumstances and cause of death," said Sheriff Clark. "But, we are treating this as a homicide investigation and are continuing to pursue all possible leads related to Mrs. Layne’s death. This investigation is top priority."
On Wednesday November 22nd 2017 hunters came upon a set of human remains in a heavily wooded area off Sandy Ridge Rd. in a community in Nathalie. The hunters notified the Halifax County Sheriff's Office who responded to the scene. The area was closed off and the remains were then transported to The Office Of The Medical Examiner for positive identification. The remains weren't positively identified until January 11th of 2018. And the method of Emma's death was a violent one. Emma suffered a Traumatic Neck Injury.
Additional Information
There was a certain degree of marital strife occurring before Emma was murdered. Emma was staying in the basement of the house while her husband Russell stayed upstairs. From what I understand there was going to be a divorce that occurred sometime in the near future. And from what I'm told, Both sides were going to agree to the conditions of the divorce.
Miscellaneous
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