VIRGINIA BEACH

A Virginia Beach man has been charged with the first-degree murder of a Newsoms woman this past winter. Southampton County Sheriff’s Department investigators took James Herbert Goodwyn Jr. into custody at his residence without incident, after securing a warrant for his arrest, according to Lt. Camden Cobb of the agency.

Cynthia Carver is the woman that Goodwyn is alleged to have killed. The 34-year-old mother of two children was reported missing by her mother, Ann, on Feb. 22. Evidence of blood and a knife were found at the home that day. The search included not only law enforcement, with aid from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but also members of the Newsoms community. At one time, the woman was believed to have been abducted; a reward was even offered for information that led to her being found.

Nearly a month later, Carver’s body was found in southwest Suffolk. She was positively identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Norfolk, which announced in mid-May that evidence of “multiple sharp force injuries” showed Carver had been a victim of murder.

The suspect — who according to the Virginia Courts website shows he lived at one time in Courtland — was in custody at Virginia Beach jail as of Friday. Cobb said the suspect would be brought to Southampton County sooner or later.

Asked how the arrest came about, the detective said, “James Goodwyn Jr., 39, was identified as a person of interest early on in this case, and as the investigation moved forward, detectives were able to gather enough evidence to support the issuance of an arrest warrant.”

Cobb added, “The Southampton County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Norfolk Field Office of the FBI for their assistance throughout the entire investigation, and we would like to thank the Virginia Beach Police Department and the Suffolk Police Department for their assistance in this investigation at different times.”

According to the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office website, Goodwyn has been charged with first-degree murder, and is held without bond. There’s no hearing information as yet.

The Tidewater News will report additional information as it becomes available.