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Post by LadyBlue on Jun 19, 2004 22:20:24 GMT -5
Body found in auto
About a mile out, on the Rutherford County side of Ellenboro-Henrietta Road, the body of 40-year-old Eddie Lee Whitener waited to be found. He’d been murdered in neighboring Cleveland County on Wednesday, say investigators. Who drove him there after the murder hasn’t been determined.
According to Rutherford County Sheriff Chief Deputy Philip Byers, a resident along the road thought the Toyota Camry station wagon had broken down and called police Friday at 6:39 p.m. That’s when deputies discovered Whitener’s body.
Saturday morning, 22-year-old Christopher James Burns, of 112-A Main St in Grover, was arrested by Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputies. Though they charged him with first-degree murder, the arrest is the early part of the investigation, said Capt. Bobby Steen.
As of Saturday afternoon, deputies weren’t releasing how Whitener was killed and hadn’t determined a motive, said Steen. The exact location of the murder hadn’t been pinpointed either.
“Just by investigation and talking to people we’ve narrowed it down” to two locations, said Steen.
Deputies here still have a number of leads to follow-up on, including how Whitener was driven there, he said.
The two were acquaintances, but why they were together is still under investigation, said Steen.
The station wagon was found 100 yards in the wooded area of a logging road, said Byers. Whitener or Burns had borrowed the car from someone who lived along Boss Moore Road, he said.
When deputies identified the body, their first instinct was to see if Whitener, who lives at 1845 Spindale St. in Spindale, had been reported missing, said Byers. He wasn’t.
Burns’ first court appearance is Monday, said Steen. He is being without bond in the Cleveland County Detention Center.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jun 29, 2004 22:32:13 GMT -5
Brittany Willis, 17, was last seen Monday afternoon when she left her parents' home.
On Monday at approximately 10:30 p.m., Wilson police officers responded to Brookside Drive in reference to a missing person. Upon arrival officers learned Willis left her home at approximately 1:30 p.m. that day and had not been seen since.
The Lexus SUV she was driving was found at the Wilson Woods Apartment Complex Tuesday morning.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, her body was found in a construction area on Westshire Drive in Wilson.
An investigation is underway.
No motive for the killing has been established. Police said nothing was missing from the SUV -- Willis' purse and CDs were not taken.
Willis had no known enemies and was a popular student at James D. Hunt High School, according to fellow students.
"She was great. She always had a smile on her face," Kendall Liner said.
Teachers and students described Willis as outgoing and said she was involved in various activities at school like volleyball, soccer, the Key Club and the yearbook.
"She's just soft spoken, fun, popular -- a kid nobody would have any grudges against, an all around good person," guidance counselor Nancy Boykin said.
Willis' parents were also described as very involved with the school.
Tuesday night, about 40 students gathered at Willis' home to express their shock and sadness at their classmate's death and to comfort her family.
Willis was planning to attend Peace College in Raleigh this fall. Her 18th birthday would have been Wednesday.
If anyone saw Willis in the vicinity of Brentwood shopping center Monday afternoon or saw her vehicle (a 2000 Lexus RX-300 SUV that is pearl white bearing North Carolina license plates) at Wilson Woods apartments, you are asked to contact Wilson Police at 252-399-2323.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jul 8, 2004 2:03:31 GMT -5
Sheriff's deputies have released the name of a girl found dead in the Murrayville area last month.
The body of Jessica Lynn Jones, 16, was found on NC Highway 132 North on June 28th.
Deputies say she did not live with either of her parents and had a history of being a runaway. Jessica's death has not been ruled natural causes or a homicide.
The investigation is continuing. If you have seen Jessica in the last month, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office would appreciate a call.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jul 13, 2004 23:44:21 GMT -5
An 11-year-old boy whose body was found in an abandoned mobile home near his house probably was killed by a blow to the head, according to a preliminary autopsy cited by authorities Tuesday.
Investigators said they did not know what kind of object was used to kill Bradley Way or how long he had been dead.
The boy stayed at home alone during the day while his father and stepmother worked.
"It's a quiet neighborhood where you would expect a child could stay home safely," said Capt. James Estes of the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Estes said there are no suspects, no weapon, no motive and no arrests. There was no evidence of a struggle, or anything to suggest the murder involved sexual activity, investigators said.
Way's father left for work at 7 a.m., investigators said, and returned home at 5 p.m. He could not find his son and called the sheriff's office. Several deputies responded and, after a short search, found the boy's body at an abandoned mobile home about 300 yards away.
Way was to be a fifth grader this fall at Greenwood Elementary in Sanford.
"Mostly, there's a lot of concerned people asking questions why and want to know why this happens," neighbor Jimmy Fraley said. "I thank God that it's not my child. I feel sorry for the family that's got to suffer with this."
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Post by LadyBlue on Jul 20, 2004 12:35:06 GMT -5
Just a quick observation by me, Interstate 40 and Interstate 95 are within quick reach of both locations where these two teens were found dead. One in Murraysville, and the other in Wilson.
Oh and one other quick observence, Camp Lejeune is not too many miles from either of the sites where these girls bodies were located.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jul 22, 2004 10:15:45 GMT -5
Stokes County authorities have identified a badly decomposed body found in a shallow grave last weekend.
The sheriff's department said Wednesday that examinations at Wake Forest University/Baptist Medical Center and the chief medical examiner's office identify the victim as Brandon Antonio Brown, 19, who had been missing since May. A group of hunters found the body July 18 in the southeastern part of the county near Belews Lake.
The case is now being investigated as a murder. ********************************************* "He was last seen May 2 or 3," Bottoms said. "His family heard about the body that had been found in Stokes County and then reported him missing."
Brown's sister, who lives in Winston-Salem, did not make it clear to authorities why the family waited so long to report him missing. Brown's family said that he was last seen in Walnut Cove, deputies said. "He was supposedly looking for a ride," Bottoms said.
A group of hunters who were scouting a wooded area near Middleton Loop Road in southeastern Stokes County discovered the body, authorities have said. The hunters informed the sheriff's office at 1 p.m.
When deputies arrived, the remains were partially visible from the shallow grave. The area where the body was found is about 20 yards from the road.
On Monday, Brown's body was taken to Chapel Hill where a medical examiner performed an autopsy. Deputies used the family's description of Brown to help the medical examiner confirm the identity of the body.
"We presented what information we had to them and their conclusion of the exam was that the body remains were his (Brown's)," Bottoms said.
Brown was unemployed. His last known address was in Winston-Salem, though deputies said they don't know where he lived when he disappeared.
No arrests have been made. Deputies said that the investigation is continuing and that the State Bureau of Investigation is assisting.
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Post by LadyBlue on Sept 25, 2004 11:22:43 GMT -5
Raleigh police say human remains found off Falls of the Neuse Road may be those of a missing nail salon owner who disappeared in June. Police say a resident found a pickup truck belonging to 37-year-old Wayne Gibbs in a wooded area off the road Wednesday night. Police roped off the scene and when they returned Thursday morning, investigators discovered human remains. "We have recovered what appear to be human remains approximately 50 yards from the vehicle in the woods," Lt. John Lynch said. The remains, which police say are of an adult, have been sent to the state medical examiner for identification. Police say no one has seen or heard from Gibbs since the time he disappeared. "We are in contact with the Gibbs family," Lynch said. "They've been made aware of the situation -- of what we have." Angie Copeland works next door to the nail salon owned by Gibbs. He was last seen June 2 when he went out to get lunch for his employees. "I was very thrown back by it when I first heard of it," Copeland said. "This is something you hear about on the news. This is not something that happens to you next door in your neighborhood, in your neck of the woods." Businesses in the area have been on edge since Gibbs disappeared. "I knew Wayne was not the kind of guy who would just disappear," Copeland said. "He was your everyday guy next door that would help you with whatever you needed." Police are not saying if they found anything else at the scene. They also aren't saying if they are looking for anyone involved with the disappearance of Gibbs. www.nbc17.com/news/3756156/detail.html
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Post by LadyBlue on Oct 27, 2004 14:25:05 GMT -5
Authorities in Darlington, South Carolina, recovered the body of a missing Nash County man Tuesday.
The family of Kenneth Richardson reported him missing on Friday.
A man and a woman face murder charges for Richardson's death. Kirk and Jessica Keller are being held in the Nash County Jail.
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Post by LadyBlue on Nov 25, 2004 17:13:32 GMT -5
The search for 61-year-old Stacy Lewis ended in a shallow grave behind a house off US Highway 17 Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier that day search and rescue squads scoured Lewis' 33 acre farm near Bolivia. The found no trace of the man who had been missing for a week.
Sheriff Ron Hewett said it appeared Lewis had vanished into thin air. With nothing missing from his home and no activity on his bank account authorities had little to go on.
"Everything he has is here. Wallet, truck everything's here, so he didn't have any access. He has a cane and walks with a limp, so for him to walk off isn't likely," said his oldest daughter Tracy.
"He left behind a dog that he loved very much. The dog was left without food and water. That is something Mr. Lewis would not have done," says Sheriff Hewett.
Lewis' relatives were scared, but still hopeful, until Sheriff Hewett asked several of them to walk with him behind a house three miles from Lewis' farm. The man who lives at the home in the 5600 block of Old Ocean Highway had been gone for several days, and came home to find the ground churned up. He called the Sheriff's office who discovered Lewis' remains there in a shallow grave.
"Our worst fears and thoughts were confirmed when... family members did positively identify the individual as Stacy Lewis," said the Sheriff. "Right now our focus is turned to an individual that we're searching for, whether it be across county lines, state lines or in another country."
And right now that's all Hewett will say about the person who killed Stacy Lewis. An autopsy will be performed Thanksgiving Day.
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Post by LadyBlue on Dec 21, 2004 18:35:23 GMT -5
A body found in a Siler City creek has been identified as a 73-year-old man who was reported missing for months.
Police were called to the creek area behind Hart's Furniture Warehouse on Sunday.
The body was taken to the state Medical Examiner's Office in Chapel Hill where it was identified as James "JD" Fikes.
Fikes' family reported him missing on Aug. 30. His daughter had gone to pick him up from a doctor's appointment and he was not there.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jan 7, 2005 19:14:09 GMT -5
A body found near a pond off Narrow Gauge Road in Reidsville today may be that of a man who had been missing for more than a month.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s department reported finding the body shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. A medical examiner was in route to examine the body.
Jappie Lewis Haith, 63, had been missing since Dec. 5. Haith’s sister, Joyce Clark, said she used to talk to her brother every Sunday, but that she did not hear from him in December.
The family tried to find him on their own before they notified police.
A cause of death had not been determined Friday afternoon.
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Post by LadyBlue on Mar 8, 2005 9:09:33 GMT -5
The body of a man reported missing last week was found Monday at a construction site near the 4600 block of American Road. The death is being investigated as an apparent suicide, police said. David Xavier Walker, 47, of 4419 Valley Forge Road, was last seen at 7:15 p.m. March 1 when he told his family he was going out to look at the stars, according to a Durham police news release issued last week. In the same release, police said that Walker might be in danger.
Walker's body was found Monday inside an upright concrete drain culvert. The culvert was to be installed at a construction site near Walker's home. Police would not say Monday how Walker's body was located, only that Durham police, cadaver dogs, the N.C. Highway Patrol and Walker's family had assisted in the search.
A medical examiner will determine the cause of Walker's death.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jun 5, 2005 19:45:27 GMT -5
Dental records led investigators to the identity of a body found in the woods in Edgecombe County last weekend.
The woman has been identified as 29-year-old Melody Wiggins of Rocky Mount.
Someone found her body near Nobles Mill Pond Road last Sunday.
Investigators made the connection after Wiggins' family reported her missing.
The medical examiner has not determined the cause of death.
The case, however, is being treated as a crime.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (252) 977-1111 or the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office at (252) 641-7911.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jul 17, 2005 9:07:19 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Loie Barbour[/glow] Barbour was located deceased in 2004. She had been missing since May 3, 2003 from Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina.
[glow=red,2,300]Robin Leigh Clark[/glow] Clark was found safe in 2005. She had been missing since August 4, 1997 from Raleigh, North Carolina
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Post by LadyBlue on Nov 4, 2005 14:33:56 GMT -5
The body of a 15-year-old girl who inspired a Precious Moments figurine was found Monday by officials in North Carolina.
Heather Lynn Roberts and her grandmother, Gail Haddock-Dail, had been missing since last December while on a trip to visit relatives.
The bodies were found in Haddock-Dail’s van submerged in a nearby creek, and identified late Tuesday according to North Carolina newspapers and television stations.
Roberts spent her seventh birthday party at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage. Her dream of playing with her two kittens in heaven inspired a figurine of a child playing with a tiny angel and two kittens.
Precious Moments Lighting Ceremony
The 17th annual Precious Moments Lighting Ceremony will take place 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Fountain of Angels Theater.
The ceremony will be free of charge but free tickets will be distributed beginning at 2 p.m. Friday at the park gift shop.
The ceremony will consist of Christmas music by special guests Duke Mason, Christy Bebee and the praise and worship team from the Community Fellowship Church.
The monthly gospel sing, following the lighting program, will begin at 8 p.m.
The November lineup for the gospel sing includes Gary S. Paxton, Bill Burns, Duke Mason, Canaan Bound and George Bryant.
Everyone is welcome to this free concert.
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Post by LadyBlue on Jan 15, 2006 20:18:52 GMT -5
The body of a 49-year-old woman missing for more than a week was found Jan. 7 in her pickup's locked toolbox off Interstate 85 near Spartanburg.Emily Anderson was last seen in Lenoir about 8 a.m. Dec. 29.
Ten days later and about 100 miles away, authorities found the 2000 Chevrolet Silverado she had been driving, according to the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office. It was in the parking lot of a Waffle House just off I-85 near Duncan, west of Spartanburg.
Authorities had transported the pickup back to Caldwell County for evidence, then found her body stuffed into the locked toolbox in the bed of the truck.
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Post by LadyBlue on Apr 29, 2006 19:55:08 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Missing woman found dead in car[/glow] KANNAPOLIS -- A vehicle registered to a missing Kannapolis woman was found in a wooded area of Cabarrus County Friday afternoon and the family confirms Vanessa Johnson's body was found inside. Kannapolis police had been investigating the case since Johnson, 28, was reported missing April 19. Johnson was seen last Wednesday around 4:45 p.m. at a Home Depot in Cabarrus County. Moments later she left her mother a message on an answering machine. "It was a brief message. I couldn't understand it. I listened to it three or four times and could not make out what it said and that was what really worried me," said Vanessa’s mother, Christine Brennan. No one had heard from Vanessa since, but Vanessa's mother and large family worked closely with police to track down any leads they could find. "We've gone around and we've questioned people and put out fliers. We've done everything we can to try to locate her," said Brennan. Vanessa’s car - bearing North Carolina plates KSW-1513 – was located around 1 p.m. on Phaniel Church Road. Police have not released any details on suspects or motive in the case. www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-042806-al-missing_woman.7e3a23e6.html
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