WAKE COUNTY — A North Carolina Central University student found dead along Interstate 540 had called her husband to tell him she was on her way home from class Tuesday night and said she was going to stop to get something to eat, he said in a 911 call WRAL obtained Thursday.
"I talked to her (Tuesday) night when she was on her way home," Darin Curtis told the emergency dispatcher. "She was in the car and everything. She hasn't shown up since."
Latrese Matral Curtis, 21, called her husband about 10 p.m. Tuesday, Darin Curtis said in the 911 call. When she didn't return home, he called 911. Police said he filed a missing persons report at 8:25 a.m. Wednesday.
About an hour earlier, several motorists traveling on westbound I-540 called 911 to report a body on an embankment near Louisburg Road.
"I'm on 540 westbound, just past, I believe, the Buffaloe (Road) exit, about a mile before (U.S. Highway) 401," one caller said. "And I think there's a body on the side of the road. It's right behind the sign for 401."
"I think there's like somebody laying out on the side of the highway," another caller said. "There's a car pulled over. I just pulled over and said, 'Let me call the police, and let them just drive by and check.'"
Wake County investigators responded to the scene, where they recovered Latrese Curtis' body. Authorities said she died of wounds caused by a sharp object.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office said in a release that the body of 21-year-old Latrese Matral Curtis of Raleigh was found Wednesday morning beside the highway. The student at the Durham school was reported missing to the Durham Police Department shortly after her body was seen.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison says investigators ruled out the possibility of the woman being a hit-and-run victim and are treating the case as a homicide.
From WRAL: Wake County investigators worked through the night Wednesday, talking with family members and looking for clues into how a North Carolina Central University student died.
A motorist traveling on Interstate 540 saw the body of Latrese Matral Curtis, 21, of Raleigh on an embankment near Louisburg Road about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and called 911.
Officials identified Curtis' body late Wednesday afternoon. She was last seen leaving a class at N.C. Central Tuesday night, according to a missing person's report that her husband had filed with Durham police.
Sheriff's investigators spent Wednesday combing the embankment where she was found and surrounding areas. They said they were treating the case as a homicide.
"We don't know where this happened, how it happened or what happened," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.
Curtis' body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill for an autopsy. Authorities said they had not yet learned how she died.
About a quarter-mile away on the same side of the interstate, investigators also found a white Nissan Sentra registered to Curtis. Crime scene tape surrounded the vehicle as investigators searched it.
Curtis' husband, Darren, and members of his family were at the Public Safety building late Wednesday night talking with investigators. Authorities also obtained a warrant to search his car and the couple's apartment.
N.C. Central released a statement Wednesday afternoon about Curtis, a junior majoring in Business Administration and Management.
“The entire university community is saddened by the death of this student, and we offer sincere condolences to her family at this difficult time,” Chancellor Charlie Nelms said in the statement.
The investigation into Curtis' death is ongoing, Harrison said, and investigators asked that anyone who drove on I-540 late Tuesday night or early Wednesday and might have seen something related to the case to contact the sheriff's office at (919) 856-6900.
"Anybody that saw something near Exit 18, please call us," Harrison said. "Anything that looked suspicious, an abandoned car – we'll take anything, any information we can to follow up on."
N.C. Central plans to have grief counselors on campus Thursday to help those who knew Curtis come to terms with her death.
If you have information on crimes in North Carolina, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
From Earlier Reports
WAKE COUNTY: A body found near Interstate I-540 Wednesday morning is that of a missing North Carolina Central University student whose husband reported her missing Wednesday morning.
A motorist traveling on I-540 saw the body of what appeared to be a black female on an embankment near Louisburg Road about 7:30 a.m. and called 911.
The body was identified late Wednesday afternoon as that of Latrese Matral Curtis, 21, of Raleigh. She was last seen leaving class at N.C. Central Tuesday night, according to a missing person's report.
Sheriff's investigators spent the day combing the area near the site of the body and surrounding areas. They are treating the case as a homicide, and do not have a suspect in custody.
"We don't know where this happened, how it happened, or what happened," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said.
Curtis' body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill for an autopsy. Her cause of death had not been determined.
About a quarter-mile away on the same side of the road, investigators also found a white Nissan Sentra registered to Curtis. Crime scene tape surrounded the vehicle as investigators searched it.
Curtis' husband was also at the scene Wednesday to speak with investigators, and authorities executed a search warrant on his car and at the couple's apartment.
N.C. Central released a statement Wednesday afternoon confirming Curtis was a student.
“The entire university community is saddened by the death of this student, and we offer sincere condolences to her family at this difficult time,” said Chancellor Charlie Nelms in the statement.
The investigation into Curtis' death is ongoing, Harrison said, and investigators asked that anyone who drove on I-540 late Tuesday night or early Wednesday and might have seen something related to the case to contact the sheriff's office.
"Anybody that saw something near Exit 18, please call us," Harrison said. "Anything that looked suspicious, an abandoned car – we'll take anything, any information we can to follow-up on."
If you have any information on crimes in North Carolina, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your indentity can be kept confidential.
