71-year-old arrested years after body of missing ex-wife is found in NC, cops say
A missing woman was found dead in 2010 — and her ex-husband was just charged with murder, officials said.
Twelve years ago, a driver was traveling through Davidson County and noticed a body lying along Badin Lake Road. Crews responding to the 911 call found the person had died from “apparent gunshot wounds,” according to county deputies.
The woman — identified as Linda Brooks Hammond — had been reported missing before her body was found on Jan. 29, 2010.
Now, a man Hammond had been married to is charged in the case. Michael Hammond, 71, was arrested last week after deputies said they worked with state and local officials for more than a decade to investigate the homicide case.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in a March 3 news release didn’t list attorney information for the ex-husband.
Linda Hammond was 56 years old when her daughter reported her missing, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. At the time, officials said she was living in Lexington, a city in Davidson County and roughly 25 miles south of Winston-Salem.
Her ex-husband is accused of breaking into her home and kidnapping her before killing her, according to the newspaper.
Michael Hammond was arrested March 2 at his home in Rowland, a town near the South Carolina border. Deputies said he was later “served with orders for arrest charging him with one count of each of the following, first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, first degree kidnapping, and first-degree burglary.”
Hammond was taken to the Robeson County jail as officials waited to transfer him to Davidson County.
Deputies urge anyone with information about the case to call them at 336-236-3006 or Lexington Area Crime Stoppers at 336-243-2400.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 2:27 PM with the headline "71-year-old arrested years after body of missing ex-wife is found in NC, cops say."
