Wilson man charged in woman's stabbing death

Wilson, N.C. — A Wilson man was charged Tuesday in the stabbing death of a woman last summer, authorities said.

A pedestrian found the body of Roberta Ann Fulghum, 45, on July 29 in a ravine along Green Pond Road, between U.S. Highway 264 and Countryside Road north of Sims.

Fulghum had been stabbed multiple times in the chest, abdomen and left leg, according to an autopsy report. Her body had been in the ravine for several days before it was found, authorities said.

Deputies arrested Richard Wayne Sauls, 31, of 5011 Boswellville Road, early Tuesday and charged with murder in the case.

Wilson County Sheriff Wayne Gay said in a statement that forensic evidence found near Fulghum's body and elsewhere "was instrumental in making this arrest."

Authorities released no other information about the arrest, such as a possible motive for the slaying or exactly what led investigators to Sauls.

The Governor’s Office and local authorities offered rewards totaling $7,500 for information leading to an arrest, but it was unclear Tuesday whether any tips linked Sauls to the crime and would qualify for the reward.

Last summer, investigators wanted to question a middle-aged white man driving a red pickup truck, but it was unknown whether authorities ever located him or whether Sauls was that man.