Faith Danielle Hedgepeth was a UNC junior, a daughter, a friend and an aspiring pediatrician.
On the morning of Sept. 7, Hedgepeth — a student from a small Indian tribe in Warrenton — was found dead in her off-campus apartment at Hawthorne at the View, the victim of a homicide.
Three months later, her death remains unsolved.
Hedgepeth came to UNC on a Gates Millenium Scholarship and quickly became involved in the tight-knit group of American Indian students, participating in organizations including Carolina Indian Circle, Unheard Voices and Alpha Pi Omega Sorority.
A candlelight vigil held for Hedgepeth in the Pit on Sept. 10 drew a crowd of hundreds.
“Our hearts are heavy because we can’t make sense of any of it,” said Consuela Richardson, Hedgepeth’s older cousin, at the vigil.
“I looked up to her because she was so good ... I said, ‘You are the kind of woman I want to be someday.’”
Hedgepeth’s death certificate says she was beaten to death, said her mother, though the Chapel Hill Police Department has yet to release a cause of death.
Chapel Hill police have said they do not believe the homicide was random or that it poses a threat to the community.
