Emma Jean Douglas was reported missing from Sanford, North Carolina after family members had not heard from her since February 18, 2001. A missing person’s report was filed with the Sanford Police Department on March 1, 2001. She had last been seen alive at the residence of her estranged husband, Josephus Douglas, on February 17, 2001, and investigators later found her car abandoned in a vacant lot across the street from his home at 2647 Fayetteville Street.

On May 16, 2001, the decomposed body of Mrs. Douglas was discovered in a wooded area off Osborne Road in Richmond County. An autopsy determined she had been shot multiple times. Prior to her disappearance, Josephus Douglas had been arrested on two occasions for physically assaulting her; despite their separation she often spent time at his residence.

Anyone with information about this case or other unsolved cases in North Carolina is asked to contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at (800) 334-3000.