On the evening of Sunday, Nov. 2, a peaceful rural neighborhood in the South Toe community of Yancey County, N.C., was shaken by a discovery that left friends, family and neighbors reeling. Deputies with the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on Twilight Way, where they found 71-year-old Emma Gibbs Deyton dead inside a residence.
Shortly after that haunting finding, authorities say that 44-year-old Henry Paul Deyton — whose last name is the same — was involved in a single-vehicle crash just a few miles from the scene. He was airlifted by helicopter to the Johnson City Police Department for treatment of his injuries, all while law enforcement moved swiftly to secure a murder warrant in connection with Emma’s death.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that on Monday morning they issued a warrant for Deyton, charging him with murder in Emma Gibbs Deyton’s death. At the time of the warrant’s issuance, he was in custody of the Johnson City Police Department, still under treatment at the hospital.
Detectives from the Yancey sheriff’s office, together with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), say the case remains under active investigation. Details of motive and the precise chain of events leading to Emma’s death and the subsequent crash are being withheld while the investigation proceeds.
Friends and neighbors in the quiet mountain community say the event has left them shocked. “We just can’t believe something like this happened right here,” said one longtime resident. Though Emma had been known in the area, no public obituary or detailed life-sketch has yet been posted to community obituary pages at this time.
Law enforcement asks anyone with information — especially those who may have seen Deyton’s vehicle in the hours leading up to the crash, or anyone in contact with Emma recently — to contact the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office. The community is also being urged to give space to grieving family members and allow investigators to work.
As dusk turned over the mountains and lights glowed faint in the valleys, the tranquil façade of South Toe was shattered. Loved ones remember Emma for her quiet kindness and stable presence. Now, with her gone and questions hanging, the community is united in grief and hope for answers.
The sheriff’s office issued a brief statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones affected by this tragic event. We appreciate the cooperation of our community and the assistance of our partner agencies as this investigation continues.”
In the days ahead, the investigation will seek to piece together exactly how events on that Sunday night led to the loss of Emma’s life and a dramatic crash not far away. For now, neighbors in that steep-wooded stretch of Yancey County are holding vigil in their own way — saddened, silent, and waiting.
