AMMON, N.C. (WNCN) — An 81-year-old North Carolina man was murdered by a 21-year-old who told others he was fond of killing animals, according to deputies.
The Bladen County Sheriff's Office said that William Scott Lowry of Ammon was last seen walking down F L McDaniel Road near his home close to the Cumberland County line last August and was reported missing shortly after.
Several months later, on April 22, 2025, the Bladen County Sheriff's Office said they received an anonymous tip about a man named Nicolai Chisala Hubbling. According to the sheriff's office, the caller told them that Hubbling "had reportedly told several acquaintances about his love of killing animals to dissect but it wasn't enough [and] he wanted more."
The caller also said that Hubbling had reported told people he shot and killed Lowry, who he claimed appeared to be hitchhiking on a rural Bladen County road outside Fayetteville, and then dumped his body "in an unknown location," according to the sheriff's office.
Following that call, the Bladen County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division began following up on leads and conducting interviews. They discovered Hubbling had recently been discharged from the military and had returned to his home state. The Bladen County Sheriff's Office then began working with the Wilson County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office to track down Hubbling.
On Thursday, the Bladen County Sheriff's Office announced that the task force had taken Hubbling into custody on May 29 as he left his residence in Tennessee. According to a news release, Hubbling is charged with the first-degree murder of Lowry and is being held in the Wilson County (Tenn.) Detention Center without bond.
He is awaiting extradition back to Bladen County.
The investigation into the incident is still active and ongoing, according to the Bladen County Sheriff's Office.