Man left ill woman in frigid camper as he stayed in hotel, NC cops say. She died

A man accused of leaving a “fragile” woman in an unheated camper during the winter is at fault in her cold-related death, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.

Emma Jean Teague, 47, died in March of end-stage cirrhosis of the liver exacerbated by hypothermia, the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 13 news release.

A “lengthy investigation” resulted in Blair Hamilton Hayes, 61, being charged Aug. 12 with involuntary manslaughter in connection with her death, the sheriff’s office said.

“Teague was found to have been medically fragile and … she was left in a camper in the Wildwood Road area of Newport by Hayes during the end of February,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.

“There was no heat or electricity in the camper during this time period, and that the outside temperature was only in the low 30s during the day and in the 20s at night. … Hayes did not stay with Teague in the camper during this time, instead he stayed in a local hotel.”

On Feb. 20, Hayes came to check on Teague, “noticed she was not well” and summoned emergency responders, deputies said. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.

Teague died March 4, and detectives say a key factor was “acute hypothermia from her exposure to the cold temperatures.”

An investigation revealed she had been “left” in the camper with “no electricity, no heat, or other means for her to care for herself,” deputies said. “Teague … had significant trouble ambulating on her own, in addition to some degree of blindness,” the sheriff’s office said.

Details of Hayes’ relationship to Teague were not released.

Both were living in Newport, which is about a 140-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.

This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Man left ill woman in frigid camper as he stayed in hotel, NC cops say. She died."