Beth-Ellen Vinson was 17 when she left the Raleigh apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Rick Heath, at 2:30 am on August 16, 1994 after taking a call from the escort service she worked for. Her white 1990 Mazda 626 was found at 5:30 am parked so it blocked the entrance of a used car lot; the windows were down, the radio was playing and one of her shoes was on the ground beside the driver’s side. Her boyfriend arrived at the scene shortly after the car was reported to police, saying he had been looking for her all night.

Her remains were found a week later, on August 23, 1994, in a small ditch under flattened cardboard; she had been stabbed multiple times. Investigators recovered some belongings but three rings and a cloth pull-string shoulder purse were reported missing and believed to have been given to someone after the killing. An anonymous letter later suggested she had been involved with clients who had sadomasochistic tastes and alleged she had attempted to blackmail them, but that claim has not been confirmed.

A reward reached $12,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to contact Raleigh Crimestoppers at (919) 834-HELP or the Raleigh Police Department Major Crimes Unit at (919) 890-3555.