North Carolina family murder solved after Dixie Mafia members are pinned as the killers

A 50-year-old cold case involving the murder of North Carolina family of three has now been solved with four members of a Georgia-based gang pinned as the culprits.

The brutal slayings of the Durham family including Buick dealership owner Bryce, 51, his wife Virginia, 44, and their son Bobby, 18, went unsolved for decades after they were found dead in a bathtub in their home in Boone, North Carolina on February 3, 1972 during a snowstorm.

An autopsy report revealed that Virginia had died from strangulation and the other two had been drowned, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Following a lengthy investigation, officials from Watauga County have since pinned four members from the Dixie Mafia group as the perpetrators. 

The four men included Billy Davis, Billy Birt, Bobby Gaddis and Charles Reed who were allegedly hired to commit the crime at the Blue Ridge Mountains Home.

It still remains unclear who ordered the hit for the gruesome murder.

Billy Davis, today

Getaway driver Billy Davis, (left in 1972 mugshot, right aged 81) is the sole surviving member of the group who revealed himself as the getaway driver in the 1972 murder

Bobby Gaddis

Charles Reed

Dixie Mafia members Bobby Gaddis (left) and Charles Reed (right) were two of the men pinned for the murder of a North Carolina family 50 years ago

The son of one of the gang members Billy Birt (above) told police about his findings after speaking to his father about the murder

The son of one of the gang members Billy Birt (above) told police about his findings after speaking to his father about the murder

The sole suspect remaining alive is 81-year-old Davis who is serving a life sentence for murder at the Augusta State Medical Prison in Georgia. He has been incarcerated since 1986.

The vicious murder had occurred at the Durham’s family home on Clydesdale Road on the western side of town where they had moved from Mount Airy in 1971, according to the Observer.

On the night of the snowstorm, Virginia’s son-in-law Troy Hall had received a call from her at around 10.30am to report that a group of men had taken her husband and son before the line cut out. Hall had been married to the Boone’s 19-year-old daughter Ginny Sue.

‘I didn’t really recognize her voice,’ he told The Observer. ‘I thought it was a practical joke.’

The pair then were taken to the family home by their neighbor Cecil Small, who was a private detective, after their car wouldn’t start.

The Durham family including Bryce (left), his wife Virginia (center), and their son Bobby (right) were brutally murdered and found in the bathtub of their North Carolina home on February 3, 1972

The Durham family including Bryce (left), his wife Virginia (center), and their son Bobby (right) were brutally murdered and found in the bathtub of their North Carolina home on February 3, 1972

Once they arrived, Small and Hall went to go investigate the scene. 

They found the house in shambles, including blood splattered across the den, before hearing swooshing noises coming from the upstairs tub.

The men then found the bodies of the three victims in the overflowing tub.

The police had been called not long after Hall had received the call from Virginia who promptly arrived at the scene after the men discovered the bodies.

Besides the bodies, officers only found a half-eaten chicken and a money bag with hundreds of dollars, the Observer also noted.

A green and white SUV was reported to be leaving the scene after 10.30pm by investigators which belonged to Bryce who took it from the dealership earlier to get back home in the midst of the snowstorm, according to the Watauga Democrat.

The vehicle was found by the North Carolina Highway Patrol hours later reportedly still running, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. A bag of silver was said to be found inside.

The three slain family members were found in the bathtub of their home in Boone, North Carolina

The three slain family members were found in the bathtub of their home in Boone, North Carolina 

The suspects involved, however, were nowhere to be found and the mystery had remained unsolved for a few decades.

In 2019, Shane Birt, the son of one of the suspects, contacted the White County Sheriff’s office about researching past crimes in Georgia.

Birt recalled visiting his father Billy in jail who talked about killing the family during a snowstorm in the North Carolina mountains and almost getting caught at the scene.

Police officials notified the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office of the details.  

‘We immediately began to investigate the new leads, and conducted in-person interviews with Billy Wayne Davis in September 2019, October 2020, and August 2021,’ Sheriff Len Hagaman told The Observer. 

‘It was these interviews that ultimately helped us determine who was responsible through the corroboration of evidence. We are confident that we now know who committed these crimes.’

Davis was then interrogated after Birt had noted his involvement in the brutal slaying.

He claimed that he had been the getaway driver at the scene and the other three men had committed the murders.  

It was then discovered that the four men involved had been members of the Dixie Mafia gang who were responsible for a string of crimes in the Southeastern region of the US.  

Ginny Hall, who now goes by Durham, said she is grateful to investigators for cracking the case on behalf of the entire family.

‘I would like to thank all of the people who worked for decades on my family’s case,’ Durham said in a press release. 

‘I know that they sacrificed many days and weekends in order to work on solving this case since 1972.’   

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk