Donald Gray Silverthorne, age 46, of 179 Clark Court in Grimesland, was arrested Monday following an investigation that broke thanks to a Crime Stoppers tip.

Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office arrested Silverthorne at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday, and he is being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $100,000 bond.

On Oct. 20, 2009, at approximately 7:38 a.m., deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office responded to 179 Clark Court in Grimesland, NC in reference to a report of a person lying on the ground. Upon arrival, Deputies located Billy Ray Clark, age 52, of Sticks Road in Washington, on the ground motionless. Clark was wearing jeans and no shirt.

An autopsy was conducted to determine Clark's cause of death. The final autopsy results identify complications of blunt force trauma to the head due to assault as the cause of death. Hypothermia was also indicated as another significant condition.