By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Aug 18, 2008
Updated: Aug 18, 2008

WAKE COUNTY: In February, NC WANTED confirmed that the Wake County Sheriff's Office along with the SBI served search warrants at the homes of Jason Young's mother, Pat Young, in Brevard, and also his sister, Heather McCracken, in Etowah. Investigators also searched a storage unit used by Jason Young in Etowah.

The warrants were unsealed today, revealing new details about the investigation. Michelle Young, Jason's wife, was found bludgeoned to death in her Raleigh home on November 3, 2006.

A DNA swab collected from what appeared to be a blood spatter on the wall in the couple's home "matched the DNA profile obtained from the bloodstain of Jason Young," the warrant stated.

Jason Young was named a suspect on November 7, 2006 in a Non-Testimonial Identification Order signed by Judge Donald Stephens of Wake County.

According to the warrants, two bloody footprints were also found on a pillow at the scene. One footprint impression was made by a HushPuppies brand shoe. DSW Shoe Warehouse records indicate that Jason Young purchased HushPuppies brand shoes that match the footwear impression on July 4, 2005.

The other footwear impression matched footprints in the wood stain used on the couple's backyard deck.

In addition, the warrants revealed that although Jason did indeed check into a hotel in Hillsville, Virginia the night of November 2, 2006, his keycard was only used to access his room on one occasion, six minutes after he checked into the hotel. Surveillance images, however, show Jason Young leaving the hotel later that night.

The clothes Jason was wearing when he left the hotel that night have not been recovered.

According to a New York Times delivery person whose route includes the Young’s neighborhood, near lake Wheeler in Raleigh, all of the indoor and outdoor lights were on at the Young home between 4 and 5 a.m. November 3, 2006, the day Michelle was found dead.

The newspaper delivery person also told investigators that he/she saw a light-colored SUV parked near the home in such a way that it looked as if someone was loading or unloading something. Jason Young was driving a white Ford Explorer at the time.

The entire Young family has been tight-lipped about Michelle’s murder and Jason’s status as a suspect. And although the case garnered national media attention, no arrests have been made.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office maintains that Jason Young has not been cooperative in the investigation, and will not speak with them about the murder of his wife, Michelle Young.

Soon after the murder in Raleigh, Jason Young packed up and moved to the mountains to live with his sister, Heather McCracken, and has avoided answering questions from authorities.

Heather McCracken's home and property were searched on February 13, 2008.

Jason Young's mother, Pat Young, told NC WANTED, "He is doing what he's been told to do, and that is all you need to know."
Pat Young’s Brevard home was also searched.

If you have any information about the murder of Michelle Young, 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.