Saturday marks 24 years since the slaying of a well-known Arvonia store owner Joan Herndon. It was the morning of Oct. 19, 1995 that Herndon, 70, was shot and killed during an armed robbery at Arvonia Produce Market, a small roadside convenience store at the corner of North James Madison Highway (Rt. 15) and Abe White Lane in Buckingham County.
Herndon was the only employee in the store that Thursday around 11:45 a.m. when emergency dispatchers were notified of a shooting at 29492 North James Madison Highway. When the Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office first arrived on the scene, Herndon was found on the floor deceased right inside the front door. A significant amount of cash had been stolen from the cash register.
The Arvonia Produce Market was a small, one-room store painted white on the outside and located on the northbound side of Route 15. Herndon and her husband, Norman, had run the popular store for 15 years prior to this violent crime.
Herndon, originally from London, England, called Buckingham County home after meeting Norman in England during his time serving in World War II. The two returned stateside where they started a family, raising three children in and around Arvonia. Norman, an electrician by trade, was known for stocking the market with fresh produce from his multi-acre garden.
“The 1995 murder shook the community, still reeling from a violent bank robbery two weeks prior just north in Fork Union,” said Capt. David O. Cooper II, Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Field Office commander. “Even after all these years, we are certain there are folks in the community who know something about this tragic and senseless homicide and we encourage them to please come forward and share with us what you know. Even the smallest, tidbit of information is important to this unsolved case. It’s been 24 years and it’s time to bring justice to Mrs. Herndon and her surviving family members.”
State Police investigators continue to pursue numerous leads and have conducted multiple interviews.
The public is encouraged to contact Senior Special Agent Clay Overholt at 434-352-3443 or Special Agent Michael Heath at 434-352-3452 or contact us by email at [email protected].
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