#78, Anatomy of a Death Investigation

On May 17, 2025, a person walking a dog in a wooded area off Hawk Ridge Road found human remains. Six months later, little is yet known about the decedent. However, that does not mean little has been done. I am writing to provide an update about the case and peek behind the curtain into the complexity and challenge presented by this type of case.

When investigators and deputies arrived at the scene that Saturday afternoon, they found the scattered bones of a mostly skeletonized person. As is standard practice, we asked the on-call medical examiner (ME) to respond. We then conducted a joint investigation, both seeking to learn the decedent’s identity and what happened.  In such cases, we look for evidence to determine what, if any, crimes occurred, and who committed them, while the medical examiner focuses on when the person died, by what cause, and in what manner. Although cause and manner may sound the same, they are not. Cause refers to the specific medical reason for the death, while manner goes to whether the death occurred by homicide, suicide, accident, natural causes, or if the reason is undetermined.  For example, if the ME found a “penetrating cerebral wound from gunshot injury to the head” as the cause of death, the manner could be homicide, suicide, or accidental.

Nothing at the scene provided clues to suggest the cause of the decedent’s death. Further, it remains unclear if the person died in those woods or if someone transported the body there after death.

After investigators photographed and measured the scene, collected evidence, and the ME examined the remains, officials transported the body to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh. The OCME also found no obvious cause of death, not surprising given the pronounced decomposition of the body.  Staff there estimated the person died sometime in the latter part of 2024.

After studying the bones, a medical examiner specialist opined to our investigators that the decedent was likely a female adult, probably between 18 and 35 years old, with braces on only her bottom teeth. 

Although we hoped this specific detail might help identify the person, investigators searched the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) without success. This repository contains information about missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases. Specifically, it includes 650 missing persons and 158 unidentified bodies from North Carolina.

When the OCME is unable to identify a person, the case passes to a forensic anthropologist for a more detailed examination of the bones. Such work can reveal important biological details, such as age, sex, stature, and perhaps ancestry. Skeletal abnormalities sometimes point to cause of death or reveal details about the decedent’s medical history or prior trauma. It may be several more months before the forensic pathologist issues a report. We are hopeful it will provide new direction for the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, genealogists will attempt to identify the person using an analysis of DNA from the body. An original DNA lab report includes tremendously long strings of letters representing clusters of genes. A genealogist’s work can take several years as he or she slowly narrows the pool of possibility, using databases to compare these strings with millions of other profiles. Eventually, the genealogist might find a DNA match to a probable distant relative. The genealogist will then continue inching forward, seeking a first-degree relative such as a parent, child, or sibling.

Our experience teaches us the importance of remaining patient despite the painstaking and delicate nature of these investigations. Two years ago, a genealogist matched the DNA profile from an unidentified murder victim found more than 30 years ago in Orange County to some paternal cousins. Through a series of interviews, we eventually located a maternal aunt who reported that the family lost contact with her niece more than three decades prior. A subsequent analysis of the woman’s DNA confirmed the relationship and solved the mystery of the victim’s identity.

Patience also proved critical for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier this month, they announced the identity of a woman killed in 1968 – probably setting the North Carolina record as the oldest cold case solved with the assistance forensic genealogy. Sheriff Willie Rowe said, “Law enforcement never gives up…and we embrace technology and partnerships to solve crimes.”

Returning to the Hawk Ridge Road case, investigators have no reason to think there is any danger to residents in the area. Quite possibly, someone may have dumped the body in the woods after the death occurred elsewhere. But undoubtedly, neighbors remain disconcerted by the tragedy, and somewhere, a family longs for information about their loved one.

If you have any information, please call Sergeant K. Goodwin, the lead investigator, at (919) 245-2918.

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