Gov. Josh Stein is putting serious cash on the table in two tough North Carolina cases, authorizing $25,000 rewards this week in both a March homicide in Whiteville and a decades-old disappearance in Wilkesboro. The move is a not-so-subtle push to break through months, and in one instance more than forty years, of stalled leads and to convince reluctant witnesses that now is the time to talk. Investigators say even small details or long-forgotten video clips could be enough to crack either case.
Authorities say 71-year-old Cynthia Hansen was found severely beaten inside her business, Stronger Body Fitness, in the pre-dawn hours of March 11 and later died at Columbus Regional Healthcare. As reported by WECT, officers responded after a call for help, and investigators have asked residents to review any surveillance footage from the area. The Whiteville Police Department and the State Bureau of Investigation are treating the case as a homicide while the probe continues.
On April 15 the governor's office announced the state would offer up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in Hansen’s killing. The Office of the Governor said the reward is meant to boost local investigative efforts. Local reporting notes that the Whiteville department and a private donor had previously put up roughly $2,000 and that a GoFundMe remains active, according to Columbus County News.
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Investigators have urged residents and business owners to comb through camera footage covering North Thompson Street and nearby blocks for anything recorded between about 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. on March 11. At a press briefing, police shared video that appears to show a man running south on North Thompson Street before disappearing near East White Street, according to WBTV. Authorities say they have chased down multiple leads but have not released a detailed physical description and have not made an arrest.
Wilkesboro Cold Case Gets Fresh Cash And Fresh Attention
Stein also authorized a reward of up to $25,000 in the 1982 disappearance of 20-year-old Angela Hamby, who vanished after leaving home on Oct. 29 to run errands. Her car turned up the next day near Glenn’s Tastee Freeze, WXII reports. Coverage of the case notes that an initial $5,000 reward was offered in 1982 by then-Gov. Jim Hunt, a detail chronicled by News & Observer. Authorities say Hamby was 20 when she disappeared, and state investigators are hoping the new reward will finally shake loose some long-silent leads.
Anyone with information about the Whiteville killing is asked to call the Whiteville Police Department at 910-642-5111. Tips about Hamby’s disappearance can be directed to the Wilkesboro Police Department at 336-667-7277 or the State Bureau of Investigation at 919-662-4500, according to local reporting and state notices. WECT and official materials outline the contact details and tip lines investigators are relying on.
The Whiteville community has been visibly shaken. Friends and clients remembered Hansen as a former teacher and longtime coach whose "smile lit up a room," according to neighbors quoted by WWAY. Police leaders have urged residents to skip the rumor mill and instead share any credible information they have with detectives.
"We must use every tool at our disposal to pursue justice for victims," Stein said in a statement, urging North Carolinians with information to contact local law enforcement, the News & Observer reported. Investigators say tips, no matter how small they seem, could be the factor that finally closes both cases.
