Possible Black Serial Killer Making Mark in North Carolina

original story posted July 15, 2009

A case was recently closed of a serial killer that left a county in South Carolina in fear, but now another case has opened its doors.

Police are now investigating a North Carolina country road in an attempt to figure out if the area has become a dumping ground for the victims of a killer.

Spanning back to May 2005, an area near Seven Bridges Road outside Rocky Mount, North Carolina has turned into a burial as five women have been found

there dead. According to Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley Jr., there could be a correlation between the bodies that were found.

A woman, Lanessa Williams, stated that she believed she could have been the next potential victim as she recounted hitching a ride with a stranger last year. Although she could not be sure if he was the killer, she described an African-American male with a mustache and glasses who eventually demanded sex and threatened to take her life. Fortunately, she was able to escape his clutches. She reported that the man's car was a black pickup truck with “Chevrolet” written on the back in white letters.

Melody Wiggins, 29, Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35, Ernestine Battle, 50, Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28, and Jarneice Latonya Hargrove, 31, are the names of the women whose bodies were found, according to the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office. All of the women are Black. Hargrove was the last to have her remains found which was on June 29 being identified by her dental records. The cause of the deaths for all of the victims has yet to be determined.

Criminal records have shown the all of the women found dead had history of drug or alcohol abuse.

Hargrove's family has pleaded that the public comes forward with any information that pertains to her death or the other four.

The discovery of Hargrove has resulted in a task force being formed which is comprised of the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Rocky Mount Police Department. As things continue to develop, Sheriff James Knight has advised that the residents are cautious and use common-sense to ensure their own safety.