One year and at least six record seal requests later, many of the details regarding the Faith Hedgepeth homicide case still remain hidden from the public.
The Chapel Hill Police Department needs to realize that people haven’t forgotten Hedgepeth, and the department should show that by unsealing the records.
The community needs confirmation that there is no threat, the Hedgepeth family deserves closure and the police department needs to be transparent in what its efforts are one year after the homicide.
According to police, the records have been kept private, and continuously resealed, in order to avoid compromising the investigation. After the release of the suspect profile in January, what could the sealed records hold that would seriously compromise an investigation that hasn’t had a public update in more than half a year?
Despite this, the police continue to insist that the attack was not a random act of violence and that the public is safe. Yet tomorrow still marks a full year that a killer has been able to walk freely.
Clearly the current strategy that the police have been using hasn’t been successful. Rather than hoping that the information released eight months ago spurs the public to identify a suspect, the police need an increase in transparency before the case turns cold.
If all details of the investigation were to be released, that could be the final push in getting a suspect in custody. Above all, the Hedgepeth family deserves a day when their questions are finally answered.
With the coming of the anniversary, it’s no doubt that the police have been anticipating a call from Hedgepeth’s friends, family and the media for a release of the records.
And as the most recent records seal expires in less than two weeks, it’s time that call was heard and acted upon.
