Cold Cases
The Duplin Times newspaper published a series of stories on unsolved murders and missing person cases that occurred in the area that are featured on this webpage. These cases are those in which investigative leads have dwindle or otherwise gone “cold”. Some of these cold cases are under the jurisdiction of neighboring law enforcement agencies; however, they are being featured on this page of the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office website in hopes that you may have information that will help solve these difficult cases. Our goal is to give closure to the families and friends of the victims.
Any information or tips that you might have regarding these cases could be the clue needed to help solve it. If you have any information, please contact our detective division at 910-296-2150. Information may also be provided by email using the tip submission form at the bottom of this page. You can remain anonymous.
For more information on each case, please click on the victim’s name to access the article written by Mr. Lindell Kay for the Duplin Times. A special thank you goes out to the Duplin Times for providing these articles for use on the DCSO webpage.
Date of Death: April 16, 1983
Mr. Turner was a wholesale florist and a resident of Pine Level in Johnston County but was found dead in a drainage ditch along NC Hwy 24 near Beulaville. He had been shot five times in the back. Robbery was not the motive. Please contact the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office at 910-296-2150 or the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office at 919-989-5010 or the North Carolina SBI at 1-800-334-3000 with any information regarding this case.
Missing Since: August 9, 1989
Mr. Faison was a Navy veteran and worked for the Duplin County School System for most of his career. He was bare-footed when he disappeared from his yard in Kenansville on the night of August 9, 1989, sometime between 11:30 p. m. and midnight. A neighbor heard him shouting something unintelligible as he ran across his front yard. The only trace of Mr. Faison was his hat that was found in the neighbors yard the next morning. He was 64 years old at the time of his disappearance. If you have any information on this case, please contact the Kenansville Police Department at 910-296-0369 and reference Case # 003189.
Missing Since: October 30, 1990
Mr. Southerland was a 79-year-old retired truck driver who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease when he wandered away from his home in the rural section of Magnolia in 1990. He was last seen by a passerby heading west along Secondary Road 1104. Mr. Southerland was officially declared dead in 2001, but his friends and family would like to have closure by knowing what happened to their loved one. Please contact the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office at 910-296-2150 with any information regarding this case.
Date of Death: August 4, 2006
Miss Caty Lopez was only 5 years old when she was shot and killed during a home invasion on Duke Street in Wallace. The armed gunmen, described as two black males in their early 20’s, barged through the front screen door and demanded money. They opened fire in the home and bullets struck both Caty and her father, who was holding her in his arms. The gunmen left without taking anything. Similar home invasions happened in Beulaville around this time but police couldn’t find a conclusive connection. Please contact the Wallace Police Department at 910-285-2156 or the North Carolina SBI at 910-346-2121 with any information regarding this case.
Date of Death: December 31, 2009
Miss Caroline Lauren Cromer was an 18-year-old graduate of Richlands High School and was attending Cape Fear Community College when she was found dead along US Hwy 17 near Holly Ridge on the night of December 31, 2009. She was with friends at a party when she decided to walk home barefooted. She was struck by a vehicle about 1. 4 miles north of Hines Stump Sound Road in Holly Ridge. She was not intoxicated according to autopsy reports. Miss Cromer had family in Richlands and Beulaville. Please contact the Onslow County Crime Stoppers at 910-938-3273 or the NC State Highway Patrol at 910-347-1751 with any information regarding this case.
Date of Death: August 16, 2012
Mexican native Jorge Isaias Olazaran Garcia was visiting family when he picked up another foreign national in Warsaw. Mr. Garcia ran a stop sign at the intersection of E. Hill Street & Memorial Drive and was T-boned by another vehicle. Mr. Garcia was transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. He left the hospital against doctor’s orders and returned to Mexico according to family members. The deceased unknown passenger had two false IDs and passports. He is described at a Hispanic male between 25-35 years old with black hair and brown eyes. He was 6’2″ tall and weighed 131 pounds. Please contact the Warsaw Police Department at 910-293-7816 with any information regarding this case.
