ORANGE COUNTY — ORANGE COUNTY: The Associated Press reports that officers recovered Eve Carson's cell phone about 1 1/2 miles from the scene of her death, according to search warrants. Sprint Nextel helped police find the phone near a shopping center located on the main road between Chapel Hill and Durham.
Police also retrieved Carson's laptop and memory cards from her campus office, according to the warrants.
Two people are believed to have been in the car seen in the surveillance photos, according to Chapel Hill Police.
Photographs released during a news conference Saturday morning show a black man who appears to be in his late teens or early 20s driving the vehicle. They were taken by a surveillance camera at an automated-teller machine, where the suspect used Carson's ATM card.
Police confirmed Monday that an unidentified male is believed to be in the back of a vehicle driven by a suspect sought in connection with Carson's slaying.
Investigators have looked over stop-action images from the camera, but they were not clear enough to identify the second man, he said.
Curran played down speculation that Carson might have been in the back seat of the SUV when the pictures were taken.
"We've seen nothing to indicate that she is. We are not operating on that theory now," Curran told WRAL.
The sport utility vehicle shown in the photos might have been Carson's, police said. But Curran emphasized investigators did not definitively know if the vehicle belonged to the UNC senior.
A third photograph released shows a ball cap the suspect was thought to be wearing. It appeared to have a vintage Houston Astros logo on the front.
After the photos were released, photography expert William E. Mathis contacted the Raleigh Chronicle. Mathis wanted to color enhance a photo of the suspect in hopes of assisting in the investigation. Mathis said he noticed a dark spot in the photo and determined that it was the shadow of another person in the vehicle.
Investigators still have no motive in the case and urged the public to call police at 919-968-2760 or Crime Stoppers at 919-942-7515 if they think they have information that might help.
Police said Sunday they had received a lot of leads in the case, but had not yet identified the man in the surveillance photos.
The University of North Carolina system Board of Trustees is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Carson's death.
Police continued to ask anyone who saw Carson's blue 2005 Toyota Highlander on Wednesday or Thursday to call them. The Highlander's license plate was AIV-6690.
“All conversations are confidential. Callers do not need to reveal their identity,” Curran said.
Officers believe the killer, at some point, had access to her SUV. It was found Thursday afternoon at North and Hillsborough streets, about a mile from the crime scene.
Carson’s body was discovered Wednesday morning on Hillcrest Circle, about a half-mile from campus.
A stolen-vehicle report said Carson had been shot at least once in the right temple. Police described the weapon as a handgun.
If you have information about this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
