Dwight Kelly Payne, 44, of Boomer, North Carolina, was found dead on August 2, 2020, in Roaring River after suffering a fatal gunshot wound. Deputies responded to a disturbance call on Highland Place around 10:30 a.m.; Payne was discovered in the yard outside an older two-story wood-frame house and was pronounced dead after medical personnel arrived. He appeared to have been shot in the lower part of his back near the side, and a weapon was recovered at the scene. Reports say there were no visible signs of a struggle.

Rachel Leigh Bentley, 38, of Roaring River, was arrested and charged with Payne’s murder and held in the Wilkes County Jail without bond. Investigators say Bentley and Payne had a prior domestic relationship; earlier in 2020 Payne faced second-degree kidnapping-related charges involving Bentley, and Bentley had obtained a restraining order against Payne. Both have prior criminal records, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations is assisting the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office.

Are there neighbors or witnesses who saw the disturbance on Highland Place that morning or who knew the relationship between Bentley and Payne?