Shortly after learning that authorities had an update on the investigation into Emma Compton Layne’s death, ABC13 had an exclusive conversation with her sister regarding the resolution she had been seeking for more than seven and a half years.
Russell Wayne Layne, 67, of Nathalie was arrested and charged with Emma Layne’s murder, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday night.
Reported Missing
Layne was reported missing on June 17, 2017, according to the sheriff’s office. Five months later, in November 2017, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office discovered her remains; however, it wasn’t until January 2018 that her identity was revealed.
Ever since, the family of Layne, particularly her sister Wynona Childress, has been fighting for justice and the resolution of her case.
“The world has not been right without her,” Childress remarked. “Emma had to be loved by everyone who ever laid eyes on her. She didn’t meet a stranger; she had a great sense of humor.
She treated people well and with kindness. She wasn’t worthy of dying the way she did. Childress told Hayden Robertson of ABC13 that they just received justice and answers a few days after the anniversary of the discovery of her body in 2017.
Childress told ABC13 that she feels as like a huge burden has been removed from her and the family.
She claimed that she had always known in her heart that Emma had been harmed by Russell Layne, her husband.
Childress said she and the family never gave up faith that they would eventually receive justice, even if the anguish of not knowing what happened still hangs over them.
“It has not been a day that has gone by that I have not thought about Emma and how much I miss her,” Childress stated.
Childress expressed her gratitude to the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and all other law enforcement organizations that never gave up in their pursuit of justice and answers.
According to her, the family will be there in court whenever Russell Layne is present to make sure that something is done.