Murder Warrant Issued for Henry Paul Deyton After Death of 71-Year-Old Emma Gibbs Deyton in Yancey County A quiet Sunday evening in Yancey County’s South Toe community was shattered by violence and tragedy on **November 2nd**, when deputies discovered **71-year-old Emma Gibbs Deyton** dead inside her home on Twilight Way. What began as a welfare check quickly turned into a homicide investigation, and within hours, a **murder warrant** was issued — even as the prime suspect lay strapped to a hospital bed.
Authorities have identified **44-year-old Henry Paul Deyton**, believed to be related to the victim, as the suspect in Emma’s death. When first responders arrived at the home around 6:30 p.m., they were met with a scene of devastating loss. At nearly the same time, law enforcement received reports of a **single-vehicle crash** just down the road. The driver, later identified as Henry Deyton, had sustained serious injuries when his vehicle veered off the roadway and overturned.
Due to the severity of his condition, paramedics requested an **air rescue**, and Deyton was flown to **Johnson City Medical Center** for emergency treatment. Investigators say that as he was being stabilized in the trauma unit, a **murder warrant** was already being processed, formally charging him in connection with Emma’s death.Detectives have not released details on what led up to the homicide, but they believe the crash and the death are directly connected.
The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, continues to gather evidence and interview witnesses.The close-knit South Toe community remains in shock, struggling to comprehend how such a tragedy unfolded among familiar faces. Meanwhile, Emma Gibbs Deyton is being remembered as a kind-hearted woman whose life was taken far too soon.
