Hedgepeth and Shannon cases still unsolved, open after a year

More than a year has passed since two UNC students died at off-campus locations, and police from across the county still haven’t figured out the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

David Shannon was a UNC freshman when he was found dead at the Ready Mixed Concrete Plant in Carrboro in the early hours of Oct. 27, 2012.

Carrboro police believe someone on the UNC campus knows what happened the night Shannon died, said Carrboro police spokesman Capt. Chris Atack.

Shannon, a pledge in the Chi Phi fraternity, was last seen at a pregame party on McCauley Street.

An autopsy report for Shannon was released in October and shows he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.22 at the time of his death. Shannon died after falling 30 feet from a piece of machinery at the concrete plant.

In his latest update to town staff in October, Carrboro Police Chief Walter Horton said his investigators haven’t ruled out hazing in Shannon’s death.

“Depending on what information is developed, we may be able to charge N.C. General Statute 14-35 Hazing, which is a Class 2 misdemeanor,” Horton said in an email to town staff . “Dependent on other developments, we may have additional charges if appropriate.”

Anyone with information about Shannon should call Carrboro police.

Faith Hedgepeth was a UNC junior when she was found dead in her apartment in the early hours of Sept. 7, 2012.

Police are investigating Hedgepeth’s case as a homicide. No one has been charged with her death.

Police collected and analyzed DNA left at the scene by a male.

In January, Chapel Hill police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Analysis Unit released a profile of the suspect.

The statement said he might have been familiar with Hedgepeth and lived near her in the past. The suspect also might have commented about Hedgepeth in the past, and his behavior might have changed after the murder.

Police haven’t released any new information about a suspect since January .

Three days after her death, a Durham County Superior Court judge sealed multiple search warrants and the 911 call. Those records were sealed again Nov. 15 for 60 days.

Durham County District Attorney Leon Stanback said the records must remain sealed while police investigate to protect the integrity of the case.

Anyone with information about the case should call the Chapel Hill Police Department’s tip line. The total reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction is $39,000.

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