A 27-year-old man has been charged by the Wake County Sheriff's Office and the Raleigh Police Department for killing three of his family members after being arrested following a long chase in the forest. The bodies of the victims were found at three separate locations. The incident happened on Monday night though police believe that the murders took places a few of days back.
The accused Evan Hunter Small, according to police, has a history of possessing drugs and has been a repeat offender. The police are yet to reveal the exact relationship shared by Small and his victims and investigation are on to find the actual reason behind the murders.
Welfare Check Leads to Murderer
Raleigh Police Department received a call on 911 on Monday night to check upon Patricia Brewton Small, 79, Jimmy Wayne Small Sr., 80, and Jimmy Wayne Small Jr., 58 who the caller identified as Sandy. The caller said that he was Patricia's friend and used to talk to her twice or thrice a week but wasn't able to reach her since Friday. He also said that he was unable to contact Jimmy and Sandy.
Deputies responded to the call and arrived at the scene to complete a welfare check around 11.30 pm. When they looked through the window, they saw a body. Police said that it was of Sandy, who probably had died a couple of days back.
Later, officers were dispatched to do a welfare check at 3900 block of Bentley Meadow Lane, where they located Patricia's body. Further investigation led them to the 1300 block of Fairview Road where Jimmy Wayne Small Sr's body was found.
Repeat Offender
"The incidents are not random, and there is not an on-going public safety concern," the Raleigh Police Department had said in a news release before Evan Small's arrest. However, follow up investigation led police to track down Evan Small on Tuesday afternoon at Wake Forest where he was hiding.
The accused was arrested after a long chase during which he hit a police car. He is presently held in Wake County Detention Center. He has been charged with three counts of murder and felony larceny of a motor vehicle.
Evan Small has a history of drug convictions and is a repeat offender. He has been charged six times since September 2019 on drug charges, driving under influence, misdemeanor, and failure to appear. In March, he was also found guilty of felony possession of heroin in Wake County. However, the motive behind murdering his family members isn't yet known.
