Sallie Copeland Evans, a 74-year-old African American woman from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, was found dead on April 27, 2018, after her family reported her missing. Her body was discovered off Highway 903, in a creek not far from her home. Investigators charged her grandson, 18-year-old Isaiah Kahleal Evans Caeser, with her murder; he had been absent without leave from the United States Marine Corps since April 2, 2018, and was also served with a fugitive warrant for desertion.

Caeser was staying at a hotel in Rocky Mount using his grandmother’s credit card when explosive materials were found in his room, prompting an evacuation though no bomb was located. The family said they had been trying to convince Caeser to return to the military and that Sallie had planned a trip to Camp Lejeune to speak with him but did not show up, which raised concern among neighbors. The executor of Sallie’s estate, Mitchell Garnet Evans, later filed suit against the United States alleging the Marine Corps failed to act despite knowledge of Caeser’s mental state and threats; that claim was dismissed for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction and appealed.

Sallie’s family remembered her as lively, active in her church and fond of gardening. Does anyone have information about Sallie’s last days or about movements in the area around Highway 903 on April 27, 2018?