Inset: Leroy Allen Loper (Catawba County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The North Carolina area where authorities say Loper kidnapped a woman before killing her (Google Maps).
Authorities in North Carolina say a 54-year-old man abducted a woman from her home, killed her, and later left her remains in a wooded location.
Leroy Allen Loper is facing charges of felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and concealment of death in connection with the killing of 58-year-old Robin Doyle, according to court records.
The case began on July 28, when Catawba County deputies were called to Doyle’s home on 33rd Street NE in Hickory after relatives reported she was missing, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said in a series of news releases. Family members told investigators they had last seen Doyle at about 5 p.m. the day before.
Early in the missing person investigation, deputies said the circumstances were troubling enough that foul play remained a possibility.
By July 30, investigators had named Loper as a person of interest, saying information and evidence appeared to link him to Doyle’s disappearance. The sheriff’s office also said detectives believed Doyle may have been taken from her Hickory residence on July 28.
Loper was already in custody at that point on unrelated allegations involving sex offender registry violations, with his bond set at $200,000 secured. Officials said he is a registered sex offender and has previous felony convictions for first-degree kidnapping and second-degree forcible sexual offense.
As the search for answers expanded, investigators appealed to the public for details about Loper’s whereabouts in Catawba County and Surry County between July 27 and his July 29 arrest. The FBI, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the case.
The case took a grim turn on July 31, when investigators discovered the body of an adult woman in a wooded area in northeastern Catawba County.
Authorities initially withheld the victim’s identity until it was confirmed and next of kin was notified. Hours later, the sheriff’s office announced that the body had been positively identified as Doyle’s.
Investigators have not publicly disclosed Doyle’s cause of death, though the sheriff’s office said her manner of death is suspected to be homicide.
The sheriff’s office later announced that Loper had been charged with Doyle’s murder, with Sheriff Don Brown calling the allegations against him “pure evil.”
“We are deeply saddened for Robin Doyle’s family as they continue to endure an unimaginable loss,” Brown said in a statement. “While today’s charges mark a significant step in this investigation, they cannot undo the pain this family has suffered. The acts in this case represent pure evil, and those responsible will be held fully accountable under the law.”
Brown added that investigators “will continue pursuing every fact until justice is fully served.”
Loper remained in the Catawba County Detention Facility without bond as of Tuesday morning. Court records show he made his first appearance in Catawba County District Court on Aug. 3.
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