CULLOWHEE, N.C. (WSPA) – A group of students and professors from Western Carolina University helped police close a two-year-old missing persons case.
According to the university, a group of six forensic anthropology students and their professors traveled to Durham to help police comb the woods around Ellerbe Creek.
After hours of doing a block-by-block search of the woods, Kayleigh Best, director of the forensic anthropology program, found the remains of an individual Durham Police investigators had been searching for since 2023.
“Due to the assistance by everyone involved from WCU, we can bring closure to the family of the deceased, as well as clear a case, and obtain valuable experience in these types of cases,” said Donald Hall, investigator with Durham Police Department. “WCU allowing staff and students to conduct these types of searches and investigations greatly assists law enforcement in locating additional remains. I can tell you from personal experience, the Durham Police Department would not have located these remains without the assistance and experience of Western Carolina University.”…