Cassia Renee DuVal, 29, was found dead in her crashed car on January 29, 2020, near the intersection of Pikeville-Princeton and Nahunta roads in Buck Swamp. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office ruled her death a homicide; the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office preliminarily determined the cause was a gunshot wound. DuVal was seven months pregnant and her unborn child, to be named Aspen, did not survive.

DuVal managed the Waffle House off North Berkeley Boulevard in Goldsboro and was known there as Renee or Nana. Friends and family described her as energetic, outgoing, and passionate about her work and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; a memorial was set up at the Waffle House and a service was held at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Goldsboro gym. Her father, David DuVal, who works in law enforcement in Virginia, publicly expressed grief and disbelief.

On February 13, 2020, 33-year-old James Isaac Jones Jr. of Pikeville was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, murder of an unborn child, and felony conspiracy to commit murder. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office also charged 25-year-old Ajelet Sahar Ticante Landero of Ayden with the same charges; both were held without bond. DuVal and her unborn child were buried in Virginia. Does anyone have information about Cassia Renee DuVal or the events leading up to January 29, 2020?