Man found dead in car crash had been shot, Wake County sheriff says

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man who had been shot was found dead in a car crash Thursday night.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the man Friday afternoon as 24-year-old Myles Leonell Batts.

Deputies were called around 9 p.m. to help firefighters and Emergency Medical Services personnel with a car crash on Zebulon Road near Barham Siding Road.

A man was inside a Nissan Altima that had been heading toward Zebulon on Zebulon Road, according to a news release.

Witnesses said the car ran off the road, hit an embankment and flipped upside down in the road, the release stated..

Deputies found Batts with an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

They closed Zebulon Road from Barham Siding Road to Halifax Road as they investigated the crash.

As of Friday afternoon the death had not been classified as a homicide, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.

They released no other details but asked anyone who may have information to call investigators at 919-856-6911.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 8:17 AM.