Photo courtesy of BCSO
Zachary Alan Bishop, 33, of Blue Ridge, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of a 5-year-old boy.
On August 2, 2023, at approximately 10:12 p.m., the Botetourt County Emergency Communications Center E-911 received a call about a 5-year-old male being unresponsive. Deputies and emergency medical personnel responded to the 2900 block of Blue Ridge Springs Road to find an unresponsive child. Botetourt County Department of Fire and EMS transported the child to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Detectives immediately began working to determine the events that led to the child’s hospitalization. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital on August 4, 2023. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Western District, performed an autopsy and ruled the manner of death as homicide.
On March 4, 2024, detectives with the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office presented case information to the grand jury. The grand jury returned true bills resulting in direct indictments of felony child endangerment and murder for Bishop.
Bishop is currently being held in the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail without bond.
The information in the news release from the Sheriff’s Office is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve as investigators interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The department’s understanding of the facts and circumstances may change as additional evidence is collected and analyzed, the news release said.
~ Botetourt Co. Sheriff’s Office
