In the eight years since Sharon Helphrey was brutally murdered in her Goldsboro home, investigators just cannot get a break in the case.
George Raecher is a retired major who served as head of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office's criminal investigations division until his retirement and was one of the lead investigators assigned to the Helphrey case. He still questions why this murder remains unsolved, and why, despite a $5,000 reward, no one has ever come forward with information.
"I'd really like to see this one solved; I'd like to make Ms. Pyle happy," Raecher told NC WANTED, referring to Helphrey's elderly mother, who is desperate to get answers in her lifetime.
Helphrey's body was found inside her home on April 2, 2001, but she had been dead a couple of days. Investigators said it was one of the most horrific crime scenes they had ever seen. Helphrey was beaten, strangled and stabbed so violently than any of the three alone could have killed her. Investigators believe she was also sexually assaulted.
"The victim suffered quite a bit," said Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders. "I would go so far as to call it torture."
Helphrey, 40, had a number of criminal acquaintances. She was addicted to crack cocaine and often traded sex for drugs or money. Her door was always open, police said, and there was a lot of traffic in and out of her house.
There were no signs of a break-in and neighbors told police they didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the days before she was found. The usual comings and goings by a cast of unsavory characters.
She also frequently helped police by providing information on the criminal activities of people she knew. For all these reasons, investigators can point to several people who may have wanted to harm her. And despite a larger-than-normal suspect pool, because Helphrey hung around with criminals, no one seems willing to talk.
"In the eight years since this happened, we've had no one come forward with information," Raecher said.
Despite her lifestyle, what happened to Sharon Helphrey was unthinkably brutal and no one deserves to die that way, Sheriff Winders said. Whoever did this flew into a fit of rage, he added. Investigators have weighed possible motives -- anger, jealousy, revenge -- but without information from the public, they cannot be sure.
If you have any information about the unsolved murder of Sharon Helphrey, 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.
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