21-year-old mom identified as woman who was found dead in 1999. Mystery lingers in NC
A woman found dead in 1999 has now been identified as a 21-year-old mom, shedding light on a lingering mystery in North Carolina.
More than two decades after the woman’s remains were discovered in the woods, deputies are investigating her death as a homicide, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 3 news release and told McClatchy News in an email. They did not publicly identify a suspect.
The case dates to July 20, 1999, when a 911 caller reported finding human remains that were an “advanced state of decomposition.” The condition of the remains and the lack of an identification card made it difficult to name the person, sparking a 24-year search for clues.
The case started to gain steam in August 2021, when the sheriff’s office sent samples of the woman’s hair to Astrea Forensics to be tested for DNA. A few months later, the woman’s DNA went to the the Kin Finder Group, which has a genealogy database that can help people find their relatives, officials said.
Then in June 2022, someone stumbled upon a Facebook post seeking information about the remains. The social media user shared a tip with deputies, believing that the person who died could have been Victoria Dolores Mejia Paredes, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials later worked with police in California to collect a DNA sample from Paredes’ daughter and confirmed the remains belonged to her mom.
“This collaborative effort has brought the investigation closer to providing closure to the Paredes family,” Sheriff Jimmy Thornton wrote in a statement.
In 1999, Paredes was 21 years old. She reportedly was living in Honduras before the father of her child made arrangements for her to live with his family in the Duplin County town of Rose Hill.
But deputies said the man, with whom she had been in a relationship, went back to Honduras in 2000 and “informed Victoria’s family that she had left him and not returned.” The man later died, officials said.
“At no time was Victoria reported missing to law enforcement, which made solving this case even more difficult,” deputies wrote.
The sheriff’s office believes she died from stab-related injuries about two weeks before her remains were found. An investigation continues, and people with information about the case are asked to call the department at 910-592-4141.
The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office is based roughly 65 miles southeast of Raleigh.
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 1:37 PM with the headline "21-year-old mom identified as woman who was found dead in 1999. Mystery lingers in NC."
