Hazel Jamessa Renee Leach, 28, of Whiteville, North Carolina, was found dead on February 21, 2022, on a bed at a residence on McMillan Road with a gunshot wound to the head. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office treated the death as a homicide and opened an investigation.

Investigators identified 69-year-old Lawrence Thomas of Elizabethtown as a person of interest; Thomas and Leach were reportedly in a relationship. On the evening of February 21, the Clinton Police Department stopped Thomas on Faircloth Freeway in Clinton. He fled at high speed, struck several vehicles, and was later arrested and charged with multiple traffic- and pursuit-related offenses. A search of the vehicle used in the chase produced evidence related to Leach’s death, and a subsequent search of Thomas’ home preceded his arrest on March 4, 2022, on a charge of first-degree murder. He remains held without bond.

Did anyone who knew Hazel or saw her in Whiteville around February 2022 notice anything unusual or have information about her relationship with Lawrence Thomas?