Mary Elizabeth Ervin, 30, of Hickory, North Carolina, was found dead the evening of July 4, 2025, in a room at the Deluxe Inn on Highway 70 SW. Officers responding around 6:40 p.m. discovered Ervin with an apparent gunshot wound; she was pronounced dead at the scene and the Hickory Police Department opened a homicide investigation at 325 Highway 70 SW.

Within days investigators named 30-year-old James David Houser as a suspect and issued a murder warrant while processing evidence and interviewing motel witnesses. On July 9, 2025, police announced Houser had been taken into custody and charged with murder; he was booked into the Catawba County Detention Facility without bond. Coverage noted a swift police response over the holiday weekend and described family and motel staff shocked after trying to help before first responders arrived.

Authorities say the investigation remains active and have not publicly detailed what led to the shooting. If anyone has information about Mary Ervin, the motel, or events around July 4, please contact investigators.