None — Irina "Ira" Yarmolenko, a 20-year-old sophomore at UNC Charlotte, was found dead in Mount Holly on May 5, 2008.
Yarmolenko was found on the banks of the Catawba River behind the Stowe Family YMCA, just north of the Interstate 85 bridge in Mount Holly. Two people on Jet Skis discovered her body after seeing her car crashed into a stump on the river bank.
Yarmolenko's car was found at the water's edge, facing the river, police said. It had traveled several yards down a steep embankment and hit the stump. Yarmolenko's body was found outside of the vehicle, lying on the ground next to the driver's side door.
According to data retrieved from the car's black box, someone was sitting in the driver's seat when the car went down the embankment at about 15 mph, police said. The driver's side seat belt was in use at the time. The black box also revealed that someone started the car at the scene, police said.
Yarmolenko was last seen about two hours before her body was discovered, at about 11 a.m. at the cafe where she worked, called Jackson's Java and located near the UNCC campus. Investigators said she went to the river area to work on a photography project for one of her classes.
Yarmolenko died of asphyxiation, an autopsy report revealed. A manhunt ensued, with the governor's office offering a $5,000 reward on top of a $10,000 reward from UNCC for information leading to an arrest. The search concluded seven months later, in December, with the arrests of 40-year-old Mark Carver and 54-year-old Neal Cassada Jr. Both men were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy.
Carver and Cassada, who are cousins, both denied the charges.
"We are grateful to the police. We have talked to them in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning," Yarmolenko's brother, Pavel, said after the arrests were made. "This is a positive development. This part of our lives is over and I am glad it is. We had a huge number of friends supporting us in this."
"This is a good day for all law enforcement involved in this case and our investigation continues to move forward," said Mount Holly Police Chief David Belk. "We hope this provides the community and Ira's family with some level of closure."
Investigators said Carver's and Cassada's DNA was found inside of Yarmolenko's car, but have said little else about what led them to arrest the men.
In February, Carver and Cassada were released on a reduced bond of $100,000 from the Gaston County Jail and placed on electronic house arrest.
In October 2010, Cassada died at age 55 at his Mount Holly home. He was set to stand trial the next day.
Carver's trial began on March 14.