Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, male, White/Caucasian, of Morganton, North Carolina, died on August 31, 2025, after a house fire on Swink Street in the Antioch community revealed a far darker crime. Investigators and local media later confirmed that the fire scene held two victims: Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, and Michael Curtis Hallyburton, 63. An obituary from the local funeral home recorded that Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, “passed away unexpectedly” on August 31, 2025, while law
enforcement began treating the scene as a death investigation that quickly shifted to a double homicide inquiry.
Within days, authorities publicly identified Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, male, as one of the two victims and announced that both men had suffered gunshot wounds before the blaze. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the State Bureau of Investigation and the county Fire Marshal’s Office, led the case, releasing updates that named Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, and confirmed the shift to a double homicide investigation. Neighbors reported hearing what sounded like an explosion before the fire; multiple dogs survived and were turned over to animal services.
Two weeks later, investigators arrested 51-year-old Michael James Moretz of Morganton, charging him with two counts of felony murder in connection with the deaths of Joseph Kincaid Byrd Jr., 76, male, and Michael Curtis Hallyburton, 63. News outlets reported that the bodies were discovered on August 31 and that subsequent findings of gunshot wounds led to the murder charges; officials said the investigation remained active even after the arrest, with earlier appeals offering a cash reward for information.
