Two people are dead and a third is injured after separate homicides in Wadesboro, though police have not released the identities of any of the victims involved in either case. The small Anson County town, still recovering from a string of violent incidents over the past year and a half, is now grappling with two more fatal cases at once.
News of the killings was first reported by Queen City News, which confirmed that the two homicides were separate incidents rather than a single connected crime. No further details about the circumstances, locations, or timing of the two cases have been made public, and it remains unclear whether investigators believe the incidents are related in any way.
Wadesboro, the county seat of Anson County, is a town of fewer than 5,000 residents where the median household income sits at $42,667 and more than a quarter of residents live in poverty, according to USAFacts. Given the town's small size, local police departments like Wadesboro's routinely lean on the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to help process violent crime scenes and run complex homicide inquiries, a standard practice explained by the Anson Record.
A Pattern of Overlapping Violence in Anson County
This is not the first time Wadesboro-area authorities have had to manage more than one homicide investigation in short order. In February 2025, local law enforcement handled two separate homicides occurring on the same day — one during a home invasion on Global Road and another at Hildreth Mobile Home Park, per the same Anson Record report. Two suspects were later arrested in connection with the mobile home park shooting.
More recently, Wadesboro police investigated a Christmas Day homicide on Montgomery Street in December, which stemmed from an earlier conflict at a local apartment complex and resulted in the arrest of three people charged with first-degree murder and felony conspiracy, according to WCNC. Wadesboro's small police force has also had to coordinate across state lines before; in May 2025, a murder suspect wanted in Wadesboro was captured 23 miles away in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, WCNC reported at the time.
Rural County, Outsized Violent Crime Numbers
The overlapping cases arrive against a backdrop of violent crime statistics that outpace the rest of the state. Anson County recorded a violent crime rate of 478 per 100,000 residents in 2023, well above North Carolina's statewide average of 312 per 100,000, with aggravated assault accounting for nearly three-quarters of violent offenses, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. State data also shows that firearms were involved in 78% of homicides recorded in the county between 2013 and 2022.
Wadesboro's police department has itself been in transition over the past year and a half. Interim Chief Jason Eschert took over in early 2025 following the retirement of Brandon Chewning, a 26-year department veteran, as the Anson Record has reported. It is not yet known whether Eschert's department is leading both current investigations or whether the Anson County Sheriff's Office or NCSBI has also been called in, though such cross-agency cooperation is common practice for the town.
What Remains Unknown
Several key questions remain open. Police have not said whether the two homicides are connected, what led to either killing, or whether any suspects have been identified. The names of the two people killed and the one person injured have also not been released, and it is unclear when that information might become public. Under North Carolina law, death certificates for fatalities in the county must be filed with the local health department deputy registrar within five days before permanent filing with the Anson County Register of Deeds in Wadesboro, per Anson County Government records requirements.
Families of homicide victims in North Carolina may also be eligible for financial assistance through the state's Crime Victims Compensation Program, which can provide up to $45,000 for medical, counseling, and funeral costs if a claim is filed within two years of the incident, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The program does not cover property damage or pain and suffering.
Hoodline has previously covered violent crime in Wadesboro, including a brutal home invasion case traced through DNA evidence earlier this year. This story will be updated as police release more information about the victims and any potential suspects in these latest cases.
