A woman’s unsolved murder has been haunting her family for six months.
Diane Hester’s body was discovered on Aug. 5, 2023, in some woods off Belmeade Drive in west Charlotte. Homicide detectives believe her body had been there for 12 days.
‘So loving’: Family copes with loss while woman’s killer remains on the loose
Diane Hester’s daughter, Deannia Hester, said it’s been difficult.
“You’re expected to go back to life like everything is normal and it’s not,” Deannia Hester said. “That’s my mom, you know.”
Diane Lewis was a pastor in Jacksonville, Florida.
“She always honored God,” her daughter said. “She’s always praised him. She would stop in the middle of the grocery store and pray for someone.”
She also ran a religious school that fell on hard times.
“We’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations in business and church, but she never lost faith,” Deannia Hester said.
The family eventually lost the school and moved to Charlotte in 2020 for a fresh start, which came to an end when neighbors found a body.