A U.S. Postal Service employee who was fatally sH๏τ while delivering mail in rural North Carolina is being remembered by loved ones after a tragedy that came just months after the death of her husband.

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Brandi Byrd Reynolds was killed while working her mail route on June 26. The United States Postal Service confirmed that Reynolds was one of its employees.

Authorities said deputies responded to a request for ᴀssistance in the community of Hays at around 4 p.m., where they found Reynolds ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

Investigators arrested William Craig Durham in connection with the killing. According to court documents, he is accused of restraining Reynolds and moving her from one location to another without her consent before her death.

The loss has been especially heartbreaking for Reynolds’ family, as her husband, Brent Reynolds, died in a single-vehicle crash on December 23, only six months earlier.

Friends and family have shared memories of the couple through heartfelt social media posts they wrote to one another over the years. In one post, Brent described Brandi as his “dream girl,” while Brandi often wrote lovingly about their two daughters, calling them the reason she got up every morning and the joy that made life meaningful.

Durham has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. According to court records, a judge denied him bond during a hearing on Monday.

Court records did not indicate whether Durham has entered a plea, and his attorney had not publicly commented on the charges at the time of the latest reports.

Source: People