What is Going on in Wilmington, NC?

[Delilah]

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=9344436&nav=2gQc


Special Report: Unsolved Mysteries in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Five local mysteries, with five families waiting for answers.

No matter how much time has passed, the questions of who and why still haunts the relatives of those who were killed or vanished.

Families, detectives, and the CUE Center for Missing Persons were at WECT waiting for a phone call that could be the key to close an unsolved murder.

If you have any information about the following cases, please call:

Wilmington Police Department: [phone]
New Hanover County Detectives Division: [phone]
Monica Caison at the CUE Center: [phone] or [phone]

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Michael Austin Whaley was gunned down outside his home in Castle Hayne ten years ago. He had gone to the garage to lock up after a cookout February 25, 1998.

"It has been 10 years, but for us it feels like it was yesterday. We all miss him. We really would like to have it solved, you know for closure," said Regina Whaley, Michael's widow.

Regina was inside doing laundry when she heard a dreadful sound.

"At first it sounded like a transformer blowing. And I was folding clothes on my bed, and I didn't think too much about it. But, immediately after that, I heard a muffled, two more [shots]," said Regina.

She went outside to see what had happened, and she could barely see with her spotlight. She shined her light towards the garage and found her husband dead.

He was shot three times - twice in the head.

The only things left behind were three bullet shells and not a single piece of evidence that could lead to an arrest.

Detective Ken Murphy has since inherited the case and says it is important to him. He checks and rechecks files, wondering if there is something they could have overlooked.

"What can I do next to help get justice for victims and closure for the family," said Murphy.

Ten years later, sitting on the porch of their home and just a few feet from where the horrific crime occurred, Michael Whaley's family says not a day goes by that they don't wonder who pulled the trigger that night.

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A few miles away and two years later, a Wilmington woman vanished.

47-year-old Pamela Bradshaw was last seen on Red Cross Street in Wilmington in September 2000.

"They believe there was a vehicle, possibly white, that was bascially stopped out in the middle of the road, and she was talking to him," said Monica Caison with the CUE Center for Missing Persons.

If anyone knows where Bradshaw is, Caison says they aren't talking. This is the rare case of someone just vanishing.

Investigators know Bradshaw is in her late 40's, stand 5'9", weighs around 110 pounds, and was diagnosed with HIV.

"There just really hasn't been anything. We know she hasn't been in jail, ever. And she hasn't received any recent medical treatment in the past year. Where can you go when you're that infected with AIDS?" said Casion.

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The life of 22-year-old Geoffrey Graham came to a bloody end at his home on Bradfield Court.

"His door was busted down. A couple planks were taken from gate. There was a shoe print on the door, but no clues as to who did it," said Geoffrey's sister Kourtnei Martin.

Geoffrey was killed August 17, 2007 around 11:00 at night. Detective Murphy has a hunch someone knows something, but is keeping quiet.

"I believe they are not coming forth due to fear of retaliation," said Murphy.

Graham was home with his girlfriend when he was shot. All that remains are his ashes, pictures, and the hope that someone will come forward.

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The mystery surrounding the remains of two women in the woods off of Carolina Beach Road have been making headlines for months.

The gruesome discoveries have become an all too common occurrence. The remains were found in April 2008, but the case remains unsolved.

One of the women's remains found was Lisa Valentino's sister, 34-year-old Allison Jackson Foy.

In August, Lisa traveled to Wilmington, because she wanted to see first hand where her sister's life came to an end. That is when she made another gruesome discovery.

"I am having a hard time taking it all in. I never expected to come back here and find this," said Lisa.

She found another set of bones, which have yet to be identified.

Police believe the remains belong to Allison Jackson Foy or to 42-year-old Angela Nobles Rothen, the other Wilmington woman discovered in the same location.

Caison, who runs a private organization that helps solve missing cases, believes there could be a third, unnamed victim.

"Who does the other bones belong too? I am not convinced they belong to those two," said Caison.

Foy and Rothen disappeared a year apart, yet their skeletons were found together in April.

"It takes no genius to see they are connected. The bodies were dumped in same place and killed in same manner," said Caison.

The Wilmington Police Department has not released many details about where the investigation is going, but they have talked to taxi cab driver Timothy Iannone.

Police believe Iannone knew both women. They say he was a regular at the bar where Foy was last seen.

According to police, Iannone often picked up prostitutes and was arrested for assaulting one.

WECT spoke with Iannone after his property was searched.

"They got the wrong guy that's all I have to say," said Iannone in his defense.

Four months later, Iannone has only been questioned in the case, but police say they have several suspects in mind.

"How many people do you have out there that are still running around causing these murders," said Caison.

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Anyone with information is asked to call:

Wilmington Police Department: [phone]
New Hanover County Detectives Division: [phone]
Monica Caison at the CUE Center: [phone] or [phone]

[Sara/Peace4 Co-Founder]

That's incredibly disturbing, hopefully additional evidence and investigation can crack these cases soon.