Rev. Michael Seth Marsh, 26, of Taylorsville, North Carolina, died on February 19, 2018, after being shot while hunting. Marsh was a pastor at Russell Gap Baptist Church and was described as devoted to preaching and to his family and community. He was using an electronic coyote call that evening on Edd Burgess Road Extension when he was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and taken to Wake Forest Baptist Health – Wilkes Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Ronald Mathew Dunn, 31, reported hearing coyotes and, believing something had been trapped in a tree, fired two shots at what he thought was a coyote. He realized afterward that he had shot Marsh, immediately rendered aid and called 911. Dunn was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and held on a $75,000 secure bond; his first court appearance was on February 26, 2018. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission investigated.

Does anyone have information about Marsh’s activities that evening or about hunting practices in that area that could shed light on what happened?