By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Oct 29, 2008
Updated: Oct 29, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY — Cheryl Williams moved out when she was 16. She didn’t like her parents’ rules and the drumbeat of school and home, so she chose her own path. The path she chose was a difficult one of crack addiction and bad relationships, her sister Anna remembers, but she always kept up with her mom and her sisters. Around them, she wouldn’t smoke cigarettes or curse.

In 2002, Cheryl was 43, staying with friends and, every so often, with her mom or Anna to sober up for a while. But the streets always called and she always answered. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, everyone on the north side of town knew her name.

“I never thought certain things would happen,” said Anna Williams, who, like her sister, has lived in Chapel Hill all her life. There were four Williams sisters and they were close. “I know we all grow old and die, but never. Never this.”

Cheryl disappeared in May 2002 and in that time, Sgt. Andrew Smith of the Chapel Hill Police Department has tracked leads across state lines. He has checked DNA against Jane Does and heard more rumors than he can count.

The last time her mother saw her, Cheryl had a black eye. At a church meeting a few days before, Cheryl’s mother had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with her daughter. She met up with her daughter in the area of Sykes Street. When she asked about the bruising to her face, Cheryl assured her everything was OK.

She begged her to come home, Anna said, and Cheryl eventually agreed. She would try to turn her life around one more time.

The woman Cheryl was staying with said bags were packed by the door. But Cheryl disappeared and the bags remained.

Anna feels certain something terrible happened to her sister, and is just as certain people in the neighborhood know what it is. People she has known all her life act differently around her since Cheryl’s been gone and she waits desperately not for good news, but for closure.

“All the leads have been dead ends,” Sgt. Smith said, admitting he followed tips that probably wouldn’t amount to anything just to keep the momentum going.

“It’s scary,” said Anna. “And it’s not fair.”

If you have any information about the disappearance of Cheryl Williams, 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.