Inset left: Tara Jackson (Catawba County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Cecil Ray Traylor Jr. (Catawba County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The home in Caldwell County, North Carolina, where law enforcement was searching for clues on David Mize’s disappearance (WBTV/YouTube).
In a chilling case out of North Carolina, a couple faces charges of murder after allegedly killing a Vietnam War veteran, concealing his body, and subsequently returning to his residence to commit theft.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office announced this week that Tara Jackson and Cecil Ray Traylor Jr., both aged 35, have been charged with the murder of 75-year-old David Mize. The grim details came to light following a series of events that unfolded over the past few days. More details can be found on their official page.
The case began when deputies were called to perform a welfare check at Mize’s residence on Swinging Bridge Road on a Tuesday. Upon arrival, they found no one present but encountered evidence suggestive of foul play.
Following this discovery, an investigation led authorities to Valley Hills Mall, another location within Catawba County. It is believed that Jackson and Traylor Jr. committed the murder at Mize’s home, subsequently placing his body in the trunk of his car before abandoning the vehicle at the mall. This information was reported by WSOC, a Charlotte-based ABC affiliate. Further insights can be seen in their coverage.
The car was eventually discovered at a tow lot in neighboring Caldwell County, located to the northwest of Catawba County.
Authorities allege that after the murder, the duo returned to Mize’s home with the intent to steal. Their criminal acts culminated in their arrest, with media outlets capturing the moment Jackson was handcuffed, marking a significant development in this tragic case.
“Did you know David Mize?” a reporter asks her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responds.
The reporter then asks, “Were you involved in the murder?”
“No,” Jackson snaps, later adding, “I have a 7-week-old baby I’m trying to get back home to.”
Though Jackson and Traylor have been charged, the investigation was still ongoing as of Wednesday, authorities stressed. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office are helping the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office determine exactly what took place.
Mize’s friend, Sherrill Baxter, said his death “was a big loss for all of us, for anyone who really knew who he was. … Because people who actually knew him, he was a solid individual. He really was.”
Baxter remembered him as a decorated Vietnam War veteran and said that “everything he did was somewhat militarily involved,” per local CBS affiliate WBTV. “There’s times he had to come get me if I broke down or something. I’d call him up and he’d be right there.”
Catawba County is located about an hour north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
