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Two Arrested in Roaring Gap Road Murder Investigation, Victim Identified

By Jesse Wood

The Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged two individuals connected to the death of Todd Timothy Beyer, who was found dead at his residence on Roaring Gap Road in Thurmond on Thursday.

Daniel Dean Barker, 34, of Thurmond was charged with murder, and Kimberly Myers Kennedy, 41, of Ronda, was charged with accessary in the aftermath of the murder. Both were acquaintances of Beyer.

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Kennedy and Barker

Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Beyer died from multiple stab wounds.

“We will not speculate as to a motive at this time, however the investigation is ongoing and we believe further charges will be forthcoming,” Wilkes County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy David Carson said in a release.

Barker and Kennedy were arrested by personnel with the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday evening near Pleasant Hill Grocery in the Pleasant Hill community of Wilkes County.

Both are held in Wilkes County Jail without bond, pending their initial court appearance.

On Thursday afternoon, law enforcement and medics in Wilkes County responded to a call of a deceased white male at 1365 Roaring Gap Road in Thurmond.

Over the weekend, the Beyer’s vehicle was reportedly found at an unspecified block on Church Road in Foscoe. Carson confirmed the  vehicle was found in Watauga County, however, he said, “We don’t think it had anything do with the case.”

“We don’t believe it was involved,” Carson said.

Hours before Barker and Kennedy were arrested, Carson said that the investigation was still going on and that detectives were out conducting interviews, trying to determine what Beyer was doing the last few days of his life.

The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation.

The Wilkes Journal-Patriot reported Todd and Dawn Beyer owned the Roaring Gap Road residence, citing tax records.

“Tax records listed their address as 181 Park Ave., Watertown, N.Y., and show they bought the mobile home and 5½ acres on Roaring Gap Road in April 2015,” the Wilkesboro paper reported. “A resident of the area around the mobile home on Saturday said Beyer and his wife had New York license plates on their vehicles when they moved into the mobile home last spring and that several improvements had been made on the residence since then.”