Wildlife Officer Lloyd O'Neil Mayse, aged 34, was tragically killed in the line of duty on November 27, 1980, in Northampton County, North Carolina. Officer Mayse, who served with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, was conducting hunting license checks early in the morning when he encountered two brothers. Unbeknownst to him, one of the brothers was a fugitive from Virginia. During the encounter, a struggle ensued, and Officer Mayse was shot and killed.
The surviving brother hid Officer Mayse's body and disposed of his shirt, badge, and the murder weapon in a nearby pond before fleeing back to Virginia.
The fugitive was later arrested after a vehicle pursuit on I-264 in Virginia. However, during the trial, he was acquitted of murder charges after claiming that his deceased brother had fired the fatal shot. This tragic incident highlighted the dangers faced by wildlife officers and the complexities of law enforcement encounters.
Officer Mayse was a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a Green Beret, and was highly respected by his colleagues and community. His death was a significant loss to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the law enforcement community.
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