Murder in Pilot Mountain: A 40 Year Mystery

During a pandemic-altered year, the family of Ronda Blaylock continued to wait for Robert James Adkins' sentencing. As the end of 2020 approached, and Ronda's loved ones prepared for Christmas celebrations, news of a plea deal surfaced. Days before the holiday, the family gathered inside a courtroom to learn Adkins' fate.  The outcome wasn't what they'd hoped for. In episode six of the Murrow Award Winning "Murder in Pilot Mountain", we hear from detectives about previously unreleased information about the investigation, as well as a cousin of Ronda who had been reluctant to speak. Until now. 

He was just 30 years old but had already risen to the level of Sergeant in his small town police department. It was a late October night in 1996, almost the end of his shift when he had one more stop to make, a suspicious vehicle on the interstate near his town. It would be the last stop he’d ever make.  Greg Martin was a good officer, why would he make such a crucial mistake that would make it nearly impossible to find his killers? Find out in, “Who Killed Officer Martin?”

When Ronda Blaylock's body was found along Groundhog Trail Road in 1980, it was an extremely secluded area. People lived there, but although her body was a few dozen feet from the road, it took days to spot. 40 years later, we return to the scene with Ronda's cousin in tow. After moments of reflection on her part, we also introduce you to a man who was at the tobacco barn the day Ronda's body was found.  Plus, a sign that Ronda may have been looking over her cousin this whole time after all. 

Robert James Adkins was born on December 11, 1956. On August 2, 2019, he would be placed under arrest for the rape and murder of Ronda Blaylock. When his mugshot was put on the news that night, even those who grew up with him and share his DNA didn't recognize him. In episode 4 of Murder in Pilot Mountain, we talk to those who knew Adkins as he grew up, until after the time of Ronda's murder and the years to follow. 

In episode three of Murder in Pilot Mountain: A 40-year mystery, we take a look at what was released to the public immediately after Ronda's murder. Decades later, members of the Ronda Blaylock Task Force take us through their investigation, which ranged across the country and involved agencies from several states. Finally, nearly 40 years after her murder, comes an announcement. The man investigators pinned for Ronda's death had been in the shadow of Pilot Mountain the entire time. 

Ronda Blaylock grew up as an only child in a loving, sheltered home. In private school most of her life, it wasn’t until she went to public school that she met a new group of friends. In episode two of Murder in Pilot Mountain: A 40-year mystery, we hear from those who knew Ronda best.

On August 26, 1980, 14-year-old Ronda Blaylock disappeared shortly after leaving her high school. In the days to follow, her family and friends searched for her in the area of her hometown in Rural Hall, North Carolina, hoping to bring her home alive. Shockingly, Ronda’s partially clothed body was found three days later in a town called Pilot Mountain, with deputies saying she’d been raped and brutally stabbed to death.

On August 26, 1980, 14-year-old Ronda Blaylock disappeared shortly after leaving her high school. In the days to follow, her family and friends searched for her in the area of her hometown in Rural Hall, North Carolina, hoping to bring her home alive. Shockingly, Ronda’s partially clothed body was found three days later in a town called Pilot Mountain, with deputies saying she’d been raped and brutally stabbed to death. As an appalled community wrapped their minds around the vicious crime, detectives released information on a suspect. The killer, however, remained at large. More than three decades later, a group of seasoned detectives took over the case. Together, they re-examined old evidence, submitted new evidence and reinvented how the case was investigated. Nearly 40 years after her death, all roads led to a 62-year-old man, who was living mere miles away from the sheriffs office originally tasked with bringing him to justice. This is Murder in Pilot Mountain: A 40-year Mystery.