Sheriff Roach was killed on May 1, 1916, 18 miles southeast of Granite Canyon, Wyoming, while pursuing horse thieves. Sheriff Roach had been called to the area by a local rancher who had reported the theft of three horses. Sheriff Roach, along with a posse, went by automobile to the Webster Ranch, where he was killed by Clyde Pearson. It was said that Roach was game to his last breath and went down fighting in a desperate attempt to uphold the law.