In the summer of 2013, a quiet community in Pender County, North Carolina, was shaken by a tragedy that unfolded within the walls of a Rocky Point home. Myrle Knowles Carr, a 73-year-old woman, was found deceased in her residence on a Wednesday in late July after emergency crews responded to a fire. The circumstances of the fire immediately raised suspicions, and authorities launched an investigation that would soon uncover a grim story of betrayal and violence.
Investigators quickly determined that Myrle's death was not an accident but a homicide. Suspicion fell upon Wilber Price Jr., a man from Hopewell, Virginia, who had been living with Myrle and was identified as her husband. The relationship, however, was strained by financial disagreements. Just before her death, Myrle had taken a significant step by filing a report with the Pender County Sheriff's Department, accusing Price of stealing $4,400 in savings bonds. This report would become a key piece of evidence in understanding the motive behind the tragic events that followed.
The investigation took a dramatic turn when the focus shifted to Hopewell, Virginia. It was there, in the parking lot of the Hopewell Police Station, that the case reached its grim conclusion. Wilber Price Jr. was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The search of his vehicle provided damning evidence connecting him to Myrle's murder. Investigators discovered a handgun and a suicide note, which reportedly contained incriminating information about his involvement in her death.
The Pender County Fire Marshal's Office, in conjunction with the State Bureau of Investigation's arson unit, continued to piece together the evidence from the fire at Myrle's home. The findings from the scene, coupled with the evidence recovered from Price's car in Virginia, painted a clear picture of a murder-suicide. The authorities concluded that Price had killed Myrle, set fire to her house, and then fled to his hometown of Hopewell, where he ultimately took his own life. The case was closed with the death of the sole suspect, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a woman whose life was cut short by a violent and deceptive act.
