A North Carolina missing persons case has ended in tragedy after a well-known gas station clerk was discovered dead in a wooded area, with authorities charging a convicted sex offender in connection with her killing.
Robin Doyle, 56, was reported missing from her Hickory home on July 28 after someone found the back door of her residence standing open, WSOC-TV reports.
Investigators soon focused on 54-year-old Leroy Loper, identified as Doyle’s former coworker, after using Flock camera technology to trace a vehicle spotted near the location where authorities believe she was abducted.
A subsequent search of Loper’s home in Surry County allegedly turned up zip ties resembling those found outside Doyle’s house, along with duct tape and other items discovered inside a knapsack.
Neighbors also allegedly supplied video showing Loper being arrested on July 29 on two unrelated Sex Offender Registry violations tied to Instagram and TikTok accounts, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Cellphone data connected to Loper ultimately helped lead law enforcement to a remote wooded area, where Catawba County deputies, federal agents and state investigators found Doyle’s body on Friday.
Loper was then charged with felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and concealment of death. During a court appearance Monday, a Catawba County judge denied him bond, and he remains held at the Catawba County jail.
Robin Doyle, 56, was found dead in a wooded area in North Carolina on Friday, several days after she was reported missing
Leroy Loper, 54, a convicted sex offender and a former coworker of Doyle’s, is facing charges of felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and concealment of death
‘We are deeply saddened for Robin Doyle’s family as they continue to endure an unimaginable loss,’ Rock Hill Sheriff Don Brown said in a statement following the discovery of Doyle’s remains.
‘While today’s charges mark a significant step in this investigation, they cannot undo the pain this family has suffered,’ he continued. ‘The acts in this case represent pure evil, and those responsible will be held fully accountable under the law.
‘This investigation remains active and we will continue pursuing every fact until justice is served.’
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Loper had previously been convicted of first-degree kidnapping and second-degree forcible sexual abuse.
But Mary Langford, who dated him for two years and knew Doyle, said Loper ‘was a nice sweet person when I met him.
‘And then all at once, he started doing crazy stuff.’
As the investigation into Doyle’s murder now continues, community members remember her for her friendly demeanor when she worked at Propst Superette.
A judge denied Loper bail on Monday, and he remains in custody at Catawba County jail
Corban Worley, a regular customer at the gas station, was even seen putting up a tribute to Doyle on the store’s marquee following the devastating news on Friday.
It read: ‘Robin, the world wasn’t ready for you to leave, but Heaven needed you home.’
‘She was one of the sweetest, most generous, kind-hearted amazing people you’ll ever meet in your life,’ Worley told WBTV.
‘Her car is not here, nor her warm smile, welcoming when you come into the store.’
Crystal Killian Morgan, who trained Doyle at the store, also remembered her as ‘such a kind-hearted person with a gentle soul.’
‘She loved her job and her customers,’ Morgan wrote on Facebook. ‘She always had a smile on her face. She would help anyone if [she] could (and she did).’
The victim’s brother, Don Short, further said she ‘didn’t deserve this.’
‘My sister was so sweet,’ he told WSOC-TV. ‘She went to work every day. She worked hard and she took care of my dad.
‘It’s very senseless,’ added Doyle’s friend, Gay Martin. ‘It’s tough to know that a woman can’t be safe anymore.’
