In the quiet community of Dry Branch, Georgia, 64-year-old Peggy L. White's life was brought to a tragic and violent end on September 11, 2021. This devastating event unfolded when she and her husband, Fred White, returned to their Riggins Mill Road home to find it being burglarized. The couple, who had been married for nearly 50 years, were well-known and loved members of their community, making the discovery of their deaths a profound shock to all who knew them.
The day began with a sense of unease when the Whites' daughter discovered their home had been ransacked, with guns, money, and a safe all missing. A search for the missing couple was launched, and the grim reality of the situation soon became apparent. A hunter in the woods near the White's home heard a phone ringing and, upon investigating, found Peggy White's body inside a truck behind an abandoned house. She had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The search continued, and Fred White's body was found approximately 200 yards away, at the edge of a wooded area near Stone Creek Baptist Church. He too had been shot and killed.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led authorities to a suspect named Charles Rowland. Rowland, who had a prior criminal record, was identified through surveillance footage. The investigation revealed a sinister plot in which Rowland had allegedly conspired with Wayneaire Lester, a former employee of Fred White's construction company. It is believed that Lester acted as a lookout while Rowland committed the burglary. When the Whites unexpectedly returned home, Rowland panicked and murdered them both.
Charles Rowland was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of malice murder, burglary, and theft by taking. He later pleaded guilty to the murders of Peggy and Fred White and was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. Wayneaire Lester was also charged in connection with the murders for his alleged role as a lookout. The case against Lester is still pending. The brutal and senseless nature of their deaths left a deep scar on the Dry Branch community and a void in the lives of their family and friends.
