The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday, November 27, that an arrest had been made in relation to Emma Compton Layne’s murder.
According to the HCSO Facebook post, Sheriff Fred Clark has arrested Russell Wayne Layne, 67, of Nathalie, Virginia, for the homicide of his wife, Emma Compton Layne, in June 2017. Sergeant Jeff Burton issued Layne with a murder indictment after he was arrested by police earlier this evening.
In October 2017, Emma’s story was highlighted on Dateline. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, Emma had left her Cody, Virginia convenience store after shutting it. She never showed up for her scheduled visit to her mother in the hospital the next day.
After discovering Emma’s credit card, clothes, car keys, cell phone, and dog left at her house, the family filed a missing person’s report for Emma that Tuesday.
According to Halifax County Sheriff’s Office Investigator J.M. Burton, who spoke to Dateline in 2017, when police started their investigation, they contacted Emma’s husband, Russell Layne, who consented to a search of their house. Layne had cooperated, according to Burton. He remarked, “I suppose the husband is always a suspect to some extent.” He also mentioned that Layne was not regarded as a person of interest at the time because he had given multiple police interviews.
The day after Emma was reported missing, cadaver dogs were brought in to check the house and the neighborhood. Additionally, the investigator informed Dateline that they searched the ground and other ponds, but that none of the searches turned up anything noteworthy.
Hunters discovered human remains in the woods on November 22, 2017, less than a mile from Emma and her husband’s home. Major Tommy Spencer of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office at the time told NBC affiliate WSLSSomeone appeared to have tried to bury the deceased, as the remains were strewn all over the ground.
For autopsy, examination, and positive identification, the remains were taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner. The remains were positively confirmed as those of Emma Compton Layne in January 2018.
Although the cause of Emma’s death is unknown, authorities have said that she was brutally killed.
On the sixth anniversary of Emma’s passing last year, WSLS interviewed Shawna Compton-Krohn, one of Emma’s sisters, who stated that she would never give up on Emma no matter how much time went by. Justice will be served for Emma. I’m not going anywhere, so it won’t matter if we just hide and act like cowards. She declared, “I’m going to fight for Emma every day.”
One day prior to Thanksgiving 2024, Russell Layne’s arrest was announced.
Wynona Childress, Emma’s other sister, told WSLS earlier this week that the news feels like a complete circle. On November 22, Emma’s remains were discovered. However, the day before Thanksgiving was November 22, 2017. The day before Thanksgiving, we then receive this call. It’s also a boon. “After seven years and five months, I feel like I finally have something to be thankful for,” she remarked.
The HCSO said that Emma’s case has been a high priority since day one and that they are still dedicated to pursuing justice for Emma and her family when they announced the arrest.
“We hope that Emma Layne’s family and loved ones will find some closure as a result of this arrest,” they stated.
The Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority is holding Russell Layne without bond while he awaits arraignment. It’s unknown if he currently has legal representation.
The investigation into Emma’s case is still ongoing, and authorities encourage anyone with more information to call the HCSO Investigative Division’s Sergeant Jeff Burton at 434-476-3339.
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