Delia D'Ambra

He described that moment to me as a gut punch and said that Jason was truly like a brother to him.

As he asked questions and learned more information, he had a bit of a you've got to be kidding me moment when he heard the name of the man who was responsible for Jason's death.

Turns out, Wade had put Troy Wisnett in handcuffs once before.

About two or three years earlier, Wade had received a request from Burke County Sheriff's Office to assist in serving a warrant on Troy.

At the time, the sheriff's office couldn't find Troy, but they wanted him for an offense related to breaking and entering.

So they asked Wade to keep an eye out for him in the Pisgah National Forest.

Wade told me that this kind of request was normal because oftentimes fugitives would use the National Forest to evade capture.

So while out on routine patrol, Wade happened upon a remote campsite and found two men there who eventually provided him with their IDs.

One of those guys was Troy Wisnett, and because he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Wade took him into custody.

At the time, though, Wade had no idea what Troy was capable of, or that just a few years later, the young man would be back out in society and responsible for a series of murders.

Wade told me he still feels a lot of regret about not being in North Carolina when his partner Jason was killed.

His hands were tied because he was required to be out of state for work, but he still can't help but wonder if maybe he had been on the call, he could have done something to save his friend.

A frequent characterization I heard from Wade about Jason was how fiercely dedicated he was to training Moros and becoming the best dog handler he could be.

It's not surprising to Wade to know that even until Jason's final breath, he was doggedly pursuing a suspect.

But even as much as Jason loved his job, he always made time for his family.

He was a husband and father to two boys, Garrett and Logan.

In 2014, Garrett was a teenager and Logan, who is 10 years younger, was just a kid.

Their dad was described as soft-spoken, understanding, a conversationalist, a prankster, and a dedicated Christian.

Garrett told me that his father loved the outdoors and would frequently take him fishing and camping at different spots he discovered while working in the woods.

In addition to being coworkers, Jason and his partner Wade were literal neighbors.