Post by Joanna on Dec 26, 2017 19:05:54 GMT -5
1999 Christmas Eve Murder Still Unsolved
A murder in Castle Hayne, North Carolina, on Christmas Eve almost 20 years ago remains a mystery to this day. It was Christmas Eve 1999 ....
According to Ethel Greimann, everyone knew how much her niece, Tera Tracy (above), 25, loved Christmas. “She always put her Christmas tree up in October,” Greimann said. “She was always ahead of the game when it came to her tree.”
That year, Tracy, who was a clerk at The Pantry on Castle Hayne Road, had to work the overnight shift on Christmas Eve. “She worked the third shift, so she could watch the kids during the day and her husband worked during the day,” Detective Justin Varella of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, explained. The Pantry has since been replaced by a BP Station. Tracy lived right across the street from where she worked, but her house is gone, too, replaced by a CVS Pharmacy.
That Christmas Eve shift would be her last. “The bread delivery man was making the morning delivery and walked into the store only to find Tera’s body and there was a lot of blood,” Varella added. He said the delivery man called 911 and when first responders arrived, Tracy was still holding onto life. They did everything they could to try to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“It was awful,” Greimann remembered. “It was something that should not have happened.”
What happened is something investigators are still trying to piece together. “Tera actually suffered from multiple stab wounds,” Varella added. “She was stabbed in the head and the chest and the torso.”
A robbery gone wrong? “The cash register was knocked over in the store and an undisclosed amount of cash had been taken from the register, as well as probably some packs of cigarettes, because some cigarettes had been knocked over,” Varella continued.
Something didn’t add up. “The weapon that she was stabbed with was unique,” Varella explained. “I won’t go into detail as to what that weapon was. It’s not something you see every day and it’s not something that’s typically used in the course of a robbery.”
There were no surveillance cameras, but Varella confirmed there was evidence of a vehicle parked nearby. “This is based on a K9 track that was done that leads to where what appear to be some tire impressions parked at a nearby church,” he said.
Did she have enemies? Was there a motive? “To our knowledge, she didn’t have any enemies at the time,” the detective affirmed. Tracy’s husband was at home right across the street when it happened. “Fortunately her kids were actually with their grandparents or with another family member,” he added.
Though investigators don’t know who killed the young woman, she didn’t make it easy for him. “Tera definitely defended herself,” Varella recalled. “She had defensive wounds where more than likely she had a shot on the killer as well and from what I’ve been able to determine about Tera and the type of person she was, she was a fighter.”
“She was definitely without a doubt a hard worker and she always put her children first,” Greimann added. This dedicated mother, who spent her life fighting for her kids, was killed on Christmas Eve. It is a time of year that now has a very different meaning for her family. “This is a tough time of year for her mom,” Greimann admitted. “Her mom and I are really close and it’s been an absolute nightmare. Two years ago her mother was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer and of course speaking on her behalf, nothing would be better than to have this case solved.”
Someone has the answer. “There is no doubt in my mind that someone knows who did this,” Greimann concluded. “After 18 years , I think it’s time to come clean.”
If you know anything about this case, please contact the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 798-4200.
Sources: Hannah Patrick, WWAY, December 18, 2017; and Unsolved in North Carolina.
