Deputies discovered a woman dead inside a home on Highway 86 North early Friday morning.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Orange County sheriff’s deputies are searching for a man considered armed and dangerous after a woman was found stabbed to death inside a residence on Friday. The investigation began shortly after 8 a.m. following a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance.
The incident has sparked a multi-agency manhunt in the rural northern section of the county. Sheriff Charles Blackwood confirmed that investigators have identified a primary suspect and are currently utilizing K-9 units and drone technology to track his movements through the wooded terrain. Officials stated the victim and the suspect were known to each other, though the specific nature of their relationship and the events leading up to the violence remain under active review by criminal investigators.
Deputies arrived at the 4100 block of N.C. Highway 86 North to find a scene that investigators described as violent. Inside the home, they located the body of a woman who had suffered multiple stab wounds. Emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene at 8:24 a.m. Shortly after the discovery, law enforcement established a perimeter extending several miles around the property. Sheriff Blackwood told reporters that the suspect fled the home on foot before the first patrol cars arrived, disappearing into a heavily forested area that borders several private estates and agricultural lands.
The Sheriff’s Office has not yet released the name of the victim pending the notification of her extended family members. Neighbors reported hearing shouting earlier in the morning but did not realize the severity of the situation until sirens arrived at the house. Forensic teams spent much of the afternoon processing evidence inside the home and looking for a possible weapon discarded nearby. Investigators have not confirmed if a knife was recovered at the scene or if the suspect is believed to be carrying additional weapons beyond what was used in the initial attack.
This killing marks a rare instance of extreme violence in this specific part of Orange County, which is largely comprised of farms and residential acreage. Records show that deputies have responded to very few calls at this specific address in the past three years. Local law enforcement noted that the geography of the area provides significant cover for a person on the move, with the dense brush and rolling hills slowing the progress of search teams. Nearby schools were placed on a brief soft lockdown during the initial hours of the search as a precautionary measure while deputies cleared the immediate vicinity.
Legal proceedings are currently on hold while the physical search continues. Once the suspect is in custody, authorities expect to file charges for first-degree murder and potentially other counts related to the domestic nature of the incident. District Attorney officials are being kept apprised of the evidence gathered so far. A magistrate is expected to issue formal warrants once the suspect’s identity is officially logged into the state database following an arrest. No scheduled court dates have been set as of Friday afternoon, and the suspect’s name is being withheld from the public until the warrant is officially served.
The search area remained active into the late afternoon hours with state highway patrol helicopters circling the woods near the Caswell County line. Members of the community expressed shock at the heavy police presence in the normally quiet corridor. One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said they saw the victim frequently and described her as a kind person who mostly kept to herself. “It is just unsettling to think someone is out there in those woods right now,” the resident said while watching deputies move through a nearby field with tactical gear and tracking dogs.
The manhunt remains the primary focus of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as nightfall approaches. Officials plan to provide a formal update on the search status and identify the suspect during a press briefing scheduled for Saturday morning at the courthouse.
Author note: Last updated March 6, 2026.