Husband charged with murder seven years after hunters found his wife dead in a shallow grave

Russell Wayne Layne, 67, was arrested on November 27 in connection to the 2017 murder of his wife Emma Compton Layne

Russell Wayne Layne was arrested on November 27 in connection to the 2017 murder of his wife Emma Compton Layne ( Halifax County Sheriff’s Office )

A man has been charged with his wife’s murder seven years after hunters found the missing woman’s body in a shallow grave in the Virginia woods.

Russell Wayne Layne, 67, was arrested on November 27 in connection to the 2017 murder of his wife Emma Compton Layne, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Emma Layne was last seen on June 17, 2017, at the Cody Convenience Store she ran in Nathalie, Virginia, according to Halifax County deputies.

When her family didn’t hear from her the next day, they knew something was wrong and called the police.

Her family reported her missing after they found her credit card, clothes, car keys, cell phone and dog left behind at her home.

Emma Compton Layne’s sister Shawna Compton Krohn wrote on Facebook that she has been waiting for this moment to hear news of an arrest (Supplied)

A search was launched, but nothing was found until five months later.

In November 2017, hunters stumbled across Layne’s remains in a “very shallow grave” in the woods, Maj. Tommy Spencer told WSLS.

Her cause of death is unclear, but authorities have stated that she was “violently murdered.”

Over the years, her family has never given up hope for justice.

Emma Compton Layne was last seen on June 17, 2017. Her remains were found five months later (Justice for Emma Compton Layne Facebook page)

One of Layne’s sisters, Wynona Childress, told WSLS that the news of Russell Layne’s arrest feels like a full-circle moment.

“Emma’s remains were found on the 22nd of November. But in 2017, the 22nd of November was the day before Thanksgiving,” she pointed out.

“And then we get this call today, the day before Thanksgiving. And it’s a blessing. I feel like I finally have something to be thankful for after seven years and five months.”

Her other sister Shawna Compton Krohn wrote on Facebook this week following the news.

“I’ve waited for this day for sooooo long,” her sister Shawna Compton Krohn wrote, adding that it took some convincing that the arrest was real.

Russell Wayne Layne is being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority without bond (Halifax County Sheriff’s Office)

“After talking to Investigator Burton and Sheriff Clark, I don’t think it really sunk in, I started thinking after we hung up that this is a dream and I’m gonna wake up...But it is REAL..My Baby Gurl is on her way to getting her Justice.”

It’s not clear what helped crack the case, but the HCSO wrote in the Facebook post that Layne’s case has been a “top priority” since 2017 and that they “remain committed to seeking justice for Emma and her family.”

“We hope that this arrest will bring some measure of closure to Emma Layne’s family and loved ones,” they wrote.

Russell Layne is being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority without bond while he awaits arraignment.