On the afternoon of Friday, June 26, 2026, 35-year-old U.S. Postal Service rural letter carrier Brandi Byrd Reynolds was shot and killed while working her route on Monteith Acres Road in Hays, North Carolina. Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call about 4:15 p.m.; deputies found Reynolds deceased inside her USPS vehicle from multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses reported seeing a white male in a gray Nissan Altima who threatened Reynolds with a firearm before shots were heard.

Authorities arrested 56-year-old William Craig Durham of Roaring River at the scene and charged him with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping; he was held without bond. Investigators say search warrants and court records indicate Durham claimed a recent romantic relationship with Reynolds that had ended days earlier, and family members told police Durham had previously threatened her, broken into her home, and had access to her property. Court records also show Reynolds and her late husband, Brent Reynolds, had drug-related convictions from 2022 and were on probation.

The Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are handling the inquiry. Does anyone in the Hays area or who knew Brandi have information that could help the investigation?