SURRY COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The man convicted of raping and killing 14-year-old Ronda Blaylock in Surry County in 1980 has been denied parole, according to an official.
Blaylock was found dead on Friday, Aug. 29, 1980. The case remained unsolved for nearly 40 years.
In Mar. 2015, the Ronda Blaylock Task Force was announced in a renewed effort by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and four sheriff’s offices to solve the cold case.
“Within a day or so after receiving her call there were developments that I cannot discuss here today, but this task force is actively pursuing good leads,” then-Surry County Sheriff Graham Atkinson said.
Ronda was walking home from Atkins High School in Winston-Salem when she disappeared on Aug. 26, 1980. Witnesses told investigators Ronda and her friend accepted a ride from a man driving a dark blue 1970s model pickup on the day she disappeared.
Three days later, her body was found partially clothed in a heavily wooded area near Sechrist Loop Road in Pilot Mountain. An autopsy report indicated she was assaulted and stabbed to death.
“I guess they just thought it was an innocent person,” said Rebecca Blaylock, Ronda’s mother, in a pre-taped interview released the day the task force was announced. “I guess they never dreamed that it would end like it did.”
On Aug. 2, 2019, investigators announced they arrested Robert James Adkins in connection to Blaylock’s murder. He was 62 years old at the time. Officials say DNA evidence played a crucial role in Adkins’ arrest.
“It was a relief to a lot of people who knew the family, who knew Ronda 39 years ago to get an answer,” said Kevin Thomas, Blaylock’s cousin, in the weeks after the arrest. “We don’t have closure. Sometimes closure doesn’t happen in a lifetime, but we are one step closer to moving forward.”
In Dec. 2020, Adkins was sentenced to 21 to 25 years in prison for Blaylock’s murder and rape.
Less than three years later, in Nov. 2023, Blaylock’s family learned Adkins’ case would be reviewed by the North Carolina Parole Commission.
“He has had his 40 years of freedom. Now he needs to pay for what he has done. He admitted it. He’s guilty. He’s in jail, and he should stay in jail,” said Sherri Thigpen, Ronda’s cousin, after learning Adkins could be paroled.
Atkinson, who now sits on the parole commission, told FOX8 the review was mandatory by law, and the commissioners would hear from those close to the case before voting on a recommendation.
About ten weeks later, FOX8 confirmed Adkins, now 67 years old, will continue to serve his sentence.
According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Adkins is currently in the Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville, about an hour’s drive from Dobson, where Adkins was living at the time of his arrest.
The department lists Adkins’ projected release date as Sep. 21, 2029.
Blaylock would have turned 59 years old in August.
