Still no answers in Hedgepeth killing

Faith Danielle Hedgepeth was a UNC junior, a daughter, a friend and an aspiring pediatrician.

On the morning of Sept. 7, Hedgepeth — a student from a small Indian tribe in Warrenton — was found dead in her off-campus apartment at Hawthorne at the View, the victim of a homicide.

Three months later, her death remains unsolved.

Hedgepeth came to UNC on a Gates Millenium Scholarship and quickly became involved in the tight-knit group of American Indian students, participating in organizations including Carolina Indian Circle, Unheard Voices and Alpha Pi Omega Sorority.

A candlelight vigil held for Hedgepeth in the Pit on Sept. 10 drew a crowd of hundreds.

“Our hearts are heavy because we can’t make sense of any of it,” said Consuela Richardson, Hedgepeth’s older cousin, at the vigil.

“I looked up to her because she was so good ... I said, ‘You are the kind of woman I want to be someday.’”

Hedgepeth’s death certificate says she was beaten to death, said her mother, though the Chapel Hill Police Department has yet to release a cause of death.

Chapel Hill police have said they do not believe the homicide was random or that it poses a threat to the community.

But police have released little else about her violent death, and Superior Court judges have sealed the 911 call and several search warrants in the case.

The night before her death, Hedgepeth studied at the library before going to The Thrill with her roommate, who was also a UNC junior.

Up until about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 7, Hedgepeth sent out text messages.

What happened after that remains unclear.

The UNC Board of Trustees, the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, the office of Gov. Bev Perdue, Hawthorne at the View Apartments and UNC-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Crime Stoppers have all pledged rewards for information leading to an arrest in the case — bringing the total reward to $39,000.

But no arrests have been made, and police have not named suspects.

On Nov. 16, The Daily Tar Heel asked Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood to release a search warrant that became unsealed on Sept. 11.

Hobgood moved to reseal the warrant for another 45 days.

All other search warrants were sealed indefinitely in the days following Hedgepeth’s death.

Hedgepeth’s family and friends have continued to appeal to the public for information, unable to move forward without some sort of resolution.

“We’re begging anyone who has any information whatsoever that they think is pertinent to Faith’s killer please come forward,” said Roland Hedgepeth, her father.

“Please help the family, please help Chapel Hill police, her community, her friends ... All are still suffering.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.