BoCo photo
(from Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office) – On October 8 Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to the Glen Wilton Park and Ride along Botetourt Road (Route 220) to find a deceased female lying in the gravel lot from an apparent gunshot wound. Detectives discovered that the victim’s car was found abandoned and burned in a secluded area of Bath County.
The body of the female victim was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke, VA where an autopsy was performed, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. The Office of the Medical Examiner has identified the victim as Elizabeth Hensley of Roanoke.
Detectives have been working closely with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the High-Tech Crimes Division to determine the circumstances surrounding Hensley’s death, including following leads that have involved multiple jurisdictions. 47-year-old Matthew Griffin of Roanoke (pictured) has now been identified as the suspect in Elizabeth’s murder.
On October 24, 2022, Detectives from the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant to search a home on Vulcan Street in Clifton Forge. During the search a firearm and ammunition of the same make and caliber used in the homicide was recovered. The warrant was executed, and Matthew Griffin was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant for violation of probation
On November 2 Detectives with the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant charging Matthew Griffin with second degree murder for the death of Elizabeth Hensley. He was served that warrant at the Botetourt – Craig Regional Jail and continues to be held without bond.
