GUILTY NC - William “Andy” Banks, 39, Raleigh, met someone about selling his car, 12 Sept 2020 *ARREST*

[cass523]

I am so sorry @Jeepguy

Condolences to those who loved and cherished Andy

 

[rainynights]

RIP Andy

From the Raleigh PD: UPDATE: Request for Assistance - Missing Person

A body believed to be that of William Anderson Banks has been recovered with the assistance of the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office. The body will be sent to the coroner in Roanoke, VA, for autopsy and positive identification.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

RIP Andy. God bless you, your family and loved ones. Prayers straight to heaven!
MOO

Another beautiful soul taken when pure evil crossed his path.

I'm so heartbroken for everyone who loves Andy. He truly seemed to be a wonderful human being.

May Andy RIP.

May justice be harsh, and swift.

Jmho

 

[Ontario Mom]

According to WRAL, the body was found in Chatham, VA, which is north of Danville a little ways. 20-30 minutes. I wonder what made JM decide to head north?

"Public records show Merritt once lived on Dry Fork Road – which is around a mile from Beechnut Road." Body of missing Raleigh man found in Virginia, police say | CBS 17

It was in his comfort zone.

 

[SteveP]

I am so sorry, @Jeepguy, for the senseless loss of your friend, and my heartfelt condolences go out to AB's family and all who loved him. May you at least find some comfort in knowing that he has been found, and may be laid to rest with dignity, and may any and all responsible for his death be held accountable and face the harshest of penalties allowed by law.

I do want to say that LE did a great job in identifying and incarcerating a suspect already, and in a case where a crime scene stretched out some 100 miles, to actually recover a victim's body in this short a time frame is outstanding. As the investigation is surely ongoing, I pray that LE is able to get any and all evidence they can, to bring this case to a succesful prosecution. JMO

 

[Raleigh80]

I have been following this so closely and was hoping for a better outcome. I knew Andy. He was a great person and will be missed by so many people. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. What a tragic, senseless crime.

 

[Teche]

From local Chatham paper..the address is Beechnut RD, Tunstall, VA. Tunstall is rural, has a country store and a High School.

Raleigh man's remains found in Chatham

Sources confirmed to the Star-Tribune this afternoon that the remains of 39-year-old Raleigh man William "Andy" Banks were found by investigators on Beechnut Road in rural Chatham.

"It was Raleigh detectives who came up to our door, walking our farm," local resident Hollie Adams told the Star-Tribune. "They said they were looking for him [Banks] and asked if we saw his [2011 Range Rover] on Saturday."

Adams reported seeing 30 Raleigh police units around her Beechnut Road property this morning.


"They said they would bring cadaver dogs by later when it stopped raining," Adams continued. "But then they came by and said, 'Just wanted to let you know we found him, thank you.'"

Investigators reportedly used go-location to triangulate a cell phone involved in this case, and it pinged for 20 minutes around Adams's property.

Cell phones will get you every time.

 

[Simply Southern]

I’m glad the police work moved so quickly but I am absolutely gutted by this evil act.

City of Danville and Pittsylvania County Law enforcement are top notch!!! Most of PC grew up in the area, know about everyone and most of the nooks and crannies in the county.

Grew up in this area, many friends and family in this community. Really good farming folks.

Glad they were able to triangulate the cell phone data. This is very rural, farming, crops are still in the fields making it hard to see, and lots of heavy, dense wooded areas. Making it difficult to search on foot.

Praying for the family.

 

[sun16]

Sounds like they were able to locate him based on a cell phone pinging on the property for 20 mins on Saturday

Raleigh man's remains found in Chatham

Sounds to me like JM is not especially bright. Caught within 5 days. No attention whatsoever given to digital crumbs he (JM) left. Ugh.

 

[SteveP]

Sounds like they were able to locate him based on a cell phone pinging on the property for 20 mins on Saturday

Raleigh man's remains found in Chatham

Between this and the fact that he tried to hide the RR all but in his backyard, by throwing a tarp over it, I think we can conclude that while evil, JM is not likely going to ever be described as smart. We can all hope that he made enough other stupid blunders, that this case will be a slam dunk for prosecutors if and when it goes to trial. JMO

 

[Tattarattat]

So broken for you JeepGuy and Raleigh80.

I do hope we get to a place in the world where technology makes these sorts of acts impossible altogether. I am grateful for the intel a cell phone was able to provide today, to give Andy a respectful place to rest.

 

[NCBanker]

Just noticed the judge issuing the higher bail is Ned Mangum. He is as fine a fellow as you will encounter.

 

[Simply Southern]

I have been following this so closely and was hoping for a better outcome. I know Andy. He was a great person and will be missed by so many people. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. What a tragic, senseless crime.

I am so sorry. Everything I've read spoke of what a wonderful person he was and he will be missed.

I grew up in this community and it breaks my heart to know such evilness could happen in such a loving community. The community feels such terrible sadness.

 

[Gardenista]

Just noticed the judge issuing the higher bail is Ned Mangum. He is as fine a fellow as you will encounter.

The work on this case by everyone involved has been outstanding

 

[holsen]

I have been following this so closely and was hoping for a better outcome. I know Andy. He was a great person and will be missed by so many people. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. What a tragic, senseless crime.

I am so sorry. He sounds like such a loved and wonderful person. You're right, tragic and senseless.

 

[KatzEye]

@Jeepguy and @Raleigh80 and any other friends following along silently - Please accept my humble condolences for the tragic loss of your friend. Prayers for some small semblance of comfort to carry you through the following days and along the path of justice for Andy. Take care of yourselves and lean on each other. Blessings to all.

 

[oviedo]

I have been following this so closely and was hoping for a better outcome. I knew Andy. He was a great person and will be missed by so many people. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. What a tragic, senseless crime.

we are so sorry for your loss @Raleigh80 - it is senseless. and evil.

I now will take even greater care when buying/selling via the online world. I may just stop altogether. sigh.

JMO

 

[Simply Southern]

The work on this case by everyone involved has been outstanding

Yes, I should have mentioned Wake County Sheriff Dept and Raleigh Police, both outstanding. I think Wake County was involved with the search on Beechnut.

 

[Marg from Oz]

Kudos to the L.E. magnificent job. I was afraid he may never be found. His family and friends can now get on with their grieving . Senseless loss of a good life. J.M. chose his path in life now he can enjoy the karma that is coming to him.
R.I.P. Andy. Condolences to his family and friends,

 

[MysteryRoad]

This is extremely sad, and so preventable. This p-0-s is a 3 time convicted felon.
He should not have been walking the streets to commit this crime.