MADISON COUNTY, N.C. — Investigators now say the subject of the manhunt died in a crash Friday night and they might have connected him to a deadly stabbing.
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ABC affiliate WLOS in Asheville reported that investigators confirmed Monday night that Ryan Houston was in a fiery wrong-way crash in Madison County.
He and a former police chief died in the crash.
On Friday, officials in McDowell and Burke counties wanted to find him after a violent home invasion.
Now, the McDowell County sheriff said they found a stolen car that Houston left behind.
Inside, they found a woman, Malerie Crisp, 41, of Asheville, dead from a stabbing.
Houston was out on bond for attempted first-degree murder and assault on law enforcement charges stemming from a shooting at the Buncombe County magistrate’s office in 2023.
(WATCH BELOW: 3 hurt when gunman opens fire on tree-trimming crew in western NC)
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WLOS contributed to this report.
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