Linda Darlene Watts was 43 when she vanished from Sanford, North Carolina, in the late hours of May 11, 2004, while walking home from her late-night mailroom shift at the Sanford Herald. Personal items belonging to her — a newspaper, clothing, and food — were found near McIver and Jenkins Streets, and a pool of blood at the scene was later confirmed to be hers. A witness reported seeing two men forcing someone into a vehicle nearby, though that sighting could not be verified as Linda.

Arrests came nearly two years later, in February 2006, when four men were taken into custody. Two — Frederick Avon Spinks and Eric Cornelius Quick — were charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder; Phillip Jason Bunnell and Gilbert Delano Stone Jr. were charged with aiding and abetting. The prosecution faltered during Eric Quick’s December 2008 trial when charges against him were dismissed for lack of evidence; a key witness failed to appear and no physical evidence tied him to the crime. After that dismissal, charges against the other three men were also dropped. Linda’s body has never been found and foul play is strongly suspected.

Anyone with information about Linda’s last night, the McIver and Jenkins area that morning, or those who were in her neighborhood around May 11, 2004, is asked to come forward.