This episode contains graphic content that may not be suitable for all ages.

Listen or discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.

Call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988 Lifeline.org.

Those outside of the US, reach out to someone at your local crisis center or hotline.

Please do not suffer in silence. Windsor is a small town in Northeastern North Carolina, roughly two hours east of Durham and Raleigh, and roughly equidistant from the Chesapeake Bay to the north.

The county seat of Bertie County, Windsor is located in North Carolina's inner banks region,

known for these type of quintessentially American small towns

where everybody knows everybody,

and people often feel comfortable enough with their front door unlocked.

This area, North Carolina's inner banks, is a mostly rural area that's well known for its outdoor

activities.

Windsor is particularly known for its kayaking, but that is one of the main draws for the entirety of Bertie

County.

Windsor has historically always had a pretty small population, now hovering around 4,000 people at the time

today's story unfolded the population was a little over half that around 2,000. A

slight majority of the residents are African American, and a slightly smaller section of the population is white.

Over time, the region had skewed more heavily African American, but in the early 1990s, the split was close to 5045, give or take.

Many in the region also identify as part Native American, due in no small part to the region's

strong historical ties to the indigenous people that lived there centuries before the arrival of a European settlers.

Because of this long and extensive history, many dates in Windsor and Bertie County hold significance to locals, including the days in which deadly tornadoes ravaged the area in 1984, 2011, and 2020.

But even more significant is a day 2011 and 2020.

...