WATAUGA COUNTY, NC (WJHL) — Fifty years after three family members were found “brutally murdered” in Watauga County, those responsible have been identified.
According to a release from the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, three members of the Durham family were killed on February 3, 1972 during a snowstorm at their home. Bryce Durham, 51, his wife Virginia, 44, and their son Bobby, 18, were all victims of the murder. They were found by their son-in-law and daughter Ginny after looking for the family with a neighbor.
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The Watauga County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Georgia authorities in May 2019, who informed the department that they had information about who may have committed the murders. Through a concerted effort, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office determined that Billy Wayne Davis, 81, is the last survivor in the Durham case.
The publication states that Davis is serving a life sentence in a correctional facility in Augusta, Georgia for crimes committed in that state. Watauga County investigators traveled to Augusta to interview Davis, who confirmed that he and three others were responsible for the Durhams’ deaths in 1972. The other perpetrators were identified as:
- Billy Sunday Birt
- Bobby Gene Gaddis
- Charles David Reed
All three other men are deceased.
- Charles David Reed (Courtesy Watauga County Sheriff’s Office)
Bobby Gene Gaddis (Courtesy Watauga County Sheriff’s Office)
Billy Wayne Davis (Courtesy Watauga County Sheriff’s Office)
“In May 2019, we received a call from the White County Georgia Sheriff’s Office about information that we realized could be very important to the Durham case. We immediately began investigating the new leads, conducting face-to-face interviews with Billy Wayne Davis in September 2019, October 2020 and August 2021. It was these interviews that ultimately helped us determine who was responsible through corroborating evidence. We are confident that we now know who committed these crimes.”
Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman
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Investigators said they spoke to two sources who could corroborate evidence linking the triple murder. They also noted that the circumstances of the Durham case were “similar to a 1973 case in Georgia known as the Fleming case.” The Fleming case involved the same four men and was part of a Georgia-based organization called the “Dixie Mafia,” which authorities say was responsible for several violent crimes throughout the Southeast in the 1960s and 1970s.
The White County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia first contacted North Carolina authorities after Birt’s son, identified as Shane Birt, was conducting research for a book on Georgia crimes that included the Fleming case.
“Shane Birt shared that he was very close to his father and recalled a story Birt told him during a prison visit, when he admitted to killing three people in the mountains of North Carolina during a heavy snowstorm, and remembered they almost got caught.” the release states. “After hearing Shane Birt’s report, the White County Sheriff’s Office immediately contacted WCSO.”
Speaking to Watauga County investigators, Davis said he was only acting as a getaway driver for the other three. He claimed he did not enter the house but that Birt, Gaddis and Reed killed the Durhams in a “hired hit”. Davis said they almost got caught in the blizzard.
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According to the press release, despite the new revelations in the case, it’s still not clear who ordered the attack on the Durhams. Family members of the victims were informed of the new developments in November 2021.
“This is a much-needed turning point in the Durham case,” said Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman. “We cannot begin to express our gratitude to all of the professionals and community members who have worked together for so many years to help resolve this case. Thank you very much for your commitment.”
“I want to thank all the people who have worked on my family’s case for decades,” Ginny Durham said in part, 50 years after her family was found dead. “I know that since 1972 you have sacrificed many days and weekends to work to solve this case.”
“I know I speak for the entire Watauga County community when I say that we will never forget to keep the Durham family in our thoughts and prayers,” Hagaman said. “Please, let’s remember your ongoing desire for privacy.”
