Charles Franklin Headley
Incident
Supervising Game Warden Charles Headley drowned after being knocked into a millrace along the North Fork Shenandoah River near Woodstock, Virginia.
He had just completed an inspection of a fish ladder at Stonewall Mill near the confluence of the river and Pughs Run. He was attempting to crank his automobile when it lurched forward. He was knocked over the bank into the millrace and the vehicle plunged into the water on top of him. He was trapped underneath the car and drowned.
A child who witnessed the incident ran to the mill and told employees who retrieved his body.
Warden Headley had been appointed as the Supervising Game Warden of the Seventh District two years earlier.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-VA-11678641- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Supervising Game Warden Headley gave the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Henrico community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Supervising Game Warden Headley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Supervising Game Warden Charles Franklin Headley is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In VA, 203 of 654 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31% of this state's fallen.
At Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, 4 of 11 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Franklin Headley's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Franklin Headley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Franklin Headley is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
10 officers from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources are honored on badge.nw.









