SURRY COUNTY, N.C. — She was just 14-years-old when Ronda Blaylock got into a pickup truck with a friend while walking home from school and never made it home.
She was reported missing on August 26, 1980. Three days later, her body was found partially clothed in a heavy wooded area in Pilot Mountain.
It would take decades before an arrest in her unsolved murder.
In 2015, a Special Task Force was formed in hopes of finding her killer. Investigators gave a description of the suspect, a man who they said went by the names of "Jimmy" or "Butch." The man was in his late teens or early 20s at the time of the murder. He drove a 1970's or 1980's model blue Chevy pickup truck.
The Surry County Sheriff at that time, Graham Atkinson said, "We are here to bring this case to a conclusion. And, if the suspect sees this and is within the sound of our voice, make no mistake – “we are coming for you.’"
Fast forward to August 2, 2019, and now an arrest in the murder of Ronda Blaylock.
The Surry County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert James Adkins, 62, of Fisher Valley Road in Dobson in connection with her murder. Adkins is charged with First Degree Murder and First Degree Forcible Rape.
Investigators said Blaylock who’s from Forsyth County went to Atkins High School. On August 26, 1980, she and a friend got into a blue pickup truck while walking home from school. Her friend made it home safely but she never did.
Many from Rural Hall remember hearing about Blaylock's murder when the news first broke. Although some say they didn't know her personally, they're happy to hear law enforcement have finally caught the man they believe is responsible.
"I just hope they have the right one," said Willy Andrews, who lives right down the street from where Blaylock went to school.
Nearly 40 years have passed since Blaylock's body was found in a heavily wooded area in Pilot Mountain.
"There's so many people getting killed and they never found out who it is. It's automatic wrong," he said.
Surry County Sheriff Steve Hiatt said, “This case is finally being brought to a close through the collective work of many current and retired agents and officers from Surry County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. State Bureau of Investigations, N.C. State Crime Lab, N.C. State Bureau Cold Case Unit, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, S.C. Law Enforcement Division and Stokes County Sheriff’s Office."
Adkins is being held in the Surry County Detention Center without bond.
A news conference will be held Wed. Aug. 7 where more details are expected to be released about the arrest.