Beckley Police Department deputy chief shares details of Larry Webb’s arrest

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Beckley Police Department Deputy Chief Dave Allard recently arrested an elderly man accused of murdering a 10-year-old girl in August 2000.

Larry Webb, who is now in his 80’s, was indicted in October for killing Natasha “Alex” Carter, who had moved into Webb’s home near Beckley with her mother, Susan Carter, shortly before she disappeared, according to authorities.

Both mother and daughter were last seen in August 2000, and neither of their bodies have been recovered.

In 2023, West Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Marshalls executed search warrants at Webb’s house, where they allegedly uncovered DNA and other evidence which led them to charge Webb with Alex’s murder.

Deputy Chief Allard said he has been working with West Virginia Division of Corrections and other officials since October to ensure Webb has the medical care he needs during his incarceration.

The deputy chief said after he had made those arrangements, he arrested Webb at BARH and rode with him in an ambulance to Southern Regional Jail.

Later, according to authorities, Webb was transported to Mount Olive Corrections Complex in Fayette County, which offers more appropriate medical accommodations for Webb, to await trial.

Deputy Chief Allard said Webb appeared to be anticipating the arrest and that he was coherent during the ambulance ride to the jail.

“It was the [West Virginia State Police] who obtained the indictment on him,” Deputy Chief Allard explained. “I was just the person who served it. So, our conversations weren’t centered around the case, specifically, and we had casual conversation, and he was able to carry on a good conversation on the way to the jail.”

Webb’s caretaker, who is now deceased, said in August that Webb suffers from dementia.

On Monday, Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Hatfield said Webb had not had a mental health evaluation and that, if Webb is deemed mentally impaired and found guilty of murdering Alex, he would possibly serve the sentence in a mental health institution.

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