Inset: Leroy Allen Loper (Catawba County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in North Carolina where Loper allegedly kidnapped a woman before killing her (Google Maps).
A North Carolina man is accused of kidnapping a 58-year-old woman from her home before killing her and leaving her body in a wooded area.
Leroy Allen Loper, 54, was charged with felony murder, first-degree kidnapping and concealment of death in the slaying of Robin Doyle, court records show.
According to a series of news releases from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began on July 28 after deputies responded to Doyle’s home on 33rd Street NE in Hickory, following a report that she had disappeared. Family members told investigators they had last seen the 58-year-old around 5 p.m. the previous day.
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From the outset, investigators said they could not rule out foul play.
Two days later, sheriff’s investigators identified Loper as a person of interest, saying evidence and information had potentially connected him to Doyle’s disappearance. Authorities also announced that they believed Doyle may have been kidnapped from her residence on July 28.
At the time, Loper had already been arrested on unrelated sex offender registry violations and was being held on a $200,000 secured bond. The sheriff’s office noted that he is a registered sex offender with prior felony convictions for first-degree kidnapping and second-degree forcible sexual offense.
Investigators asked the public for information about Loper’s movements in Catawba County and Surry County from July 27 until his arrest on July 29. The FBI, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office joined the investigation.
The case took a grim turn on July 31, when investigators discovered the body of an adult woman in a wooded area in northeastern Catawba County.
Authorities initially withheld the victim’s identity until it was confirmed and next of kin was notified. Hours later, the sheriff’s office announced that the body had been positively identified as Doyle’s.
Investigators have not publicly disclosed Doyle’s cause of death, though the sheriff’s office said her manner of death is suspected to be homicide.
The sheriff’s office later announced that Loper had been charged with Doyle’s murder, with Sheriff Don Brown calling the allegations against him “pure evil.”
“We are deeply saddened for Robin Doyle’s family as they continue to endure an unimaginable loss,” Brown said in a statement. “While today’s charges mark a significant step in this investigation, they cannot undo the pain this family has suffered. The acts in this case represent pure evil, and those responsible will be held fully accountable under the law.”
Brown added that investigators “will continue pursuing every fact until justice is fully served.”
Loper remained in the Catawba County Detention Facility without bond as of Tuesday morning. Court records show he made his first appearance in Catawba County District Court on Aug. 3.
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