A young Faith in sunglasses, smiling.
Faith at her high-school graduation, smiling.
Faith in a Carolina T-shirt, smiling.
“That was the first thing that struck me — her smile, that infectious smile,” said Marcus Collins, Hedgepeth’s academic adviser and an assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“There was just something about that smile — it captivated me.”
‘A Tar Heel through and through’
Hedgepeth was part of the Haliwa-Saponi American Indian Tribe in Warren County.
She remained heavily involved in Native American culture after coming to UNC, joining the tight-knit community of American Indian students.
Dozens of family and tribe members traveled to UNC on Monday to attend the candlelight vigil.
“The outpouring of love of Faith has been tremendous,” Richardson said.
Leaders of American Indian student organizations that Hedgepeth interacted with — including Unheard Voices, Carolina Indian Circle and Alpha Pi Omega Sorority — also spoke and sang at the vigil.
Chese’Qua Evans, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe and a UNC graduate, said she has known Hedgepeth since she was a little girl.
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“She was a feisty little girl,” Evans said. “She always had a presence about her.”
Evans — who previously worked at the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs — helped recruit Hedgepeth to the University when she was still in high school.
Hedgepeth received a Gates Millennium Scholarship and an Alston-Pleasants Scholarship to come to UNC.
“She was so excited when she got accepted,” Evans said. “She was a Tar Heel through and through.”
Senior Haley Scruggs also attended the vigil on Monday, though she did not know Hedgepeth.
“As a Tar Heel, I know that this community is such a supportive system,” she said. “I wanted to come out and show my support.”
A joyous teammate
UNC senior Marilyn Payne — who worked with Hedgepeth at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers in Durham — said her death has devastated many members of their team.
Hedgepeth and Payne would have worked together on Sunday, she said.
“There was just something about her that made you want to love her,” said Payne, who is also a staff writer for The Daily Tar Heel.
“She was hands down the one who everyone loved the most.”
During an interview Monday, Payne spoke of conversations, jokes played and time spent with Hedgepeth during the shifts they worked together.
“If there’s a word that describes Faith, it was joyous.” Payne said.
Unresolved case
In the three days since Hedgepeth’s body was found in her Chapel Hill apartment, police have released few details about the case.
Chapel Hill police have said they don’t believe the slaying was random or that the community faces a threat.
But as of Monday night, no arrests or suspects had been announced in the case.
A cause of death also has not been released, and an autopsy hasn’t been completed.
Chapel Hill police set up a tip line for people to provide information related to Hedgepeth’s death.
Sgt. Josh Mecimore, spokesman for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said the department has received numerous tips from the line.
It has been more than four years since a UNC student has been killed in Chapel Hill.
In March 2008, former Student Body President Eve Marie Carson was abducted from her Chapel Hill home, taken to an ATM to withdraw money and then fatally shot a few miles from campus.
The two Durham men convicted of her murder are serving life sentences.
Remembering Faith
A wake will be held at the Mt. Bethel Church in Warren County tonight, and a funeral will be held there Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Collins, Hedgepeth’s adviser, said the University might organize transportation to the funeral, depending on how many students want to go.
And Payne said the Durham Red Robin staff will travel together to the funeral Wednesday.
“Faith is one of the people who unified our staff,” she said.
“That’s what I’ll remember about her — the way she was able to help people, to love people.”
Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.
