Convicted killer confesses to 1991 murder of Union County woman who vanished in Florida

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A suspected serial killer serving time confessed to the murder of a Union County woman who disappeared in 1991 in Florida.

Michael Little said his mother, Linda Little, who grew up in Marshville, was working in Daytona Beach when she vanished.

The Little family has searched for her for over 30 years, handing out flyers and posting on billboards while never giving hope.

Investigators in Florida called Michael Little last week about the confession.

“I always kind of hoped she would just pop up one day and tell me about her adventures, wherever she’s been, whatever she’s done and that’s not going to happen now,” Michael Little said.

The vanishing

Michael Little has found comfort from Hootie & the Blowfish’s hit “Let Her Cry,” with lyrics including “Maybe I’ll be back someday.”

Linda Little’s adventures took her to Daytona Beach in the 1980s so she could live by the ocean.

She was in her 40s when she returned to Union County for Christmas before she disappeared.

In 1991, Michael Little said that his grandparents and mother’s siblings began a desperate search for her.

“They went door to door passing out pictures and flyers,” Michael Little said.

He was a long-haul truck driver at the time.

“I went all over the country,” he said. “Every time I had to stop and get fuel, every 500 miles, I would put up a flyer at a truck stop.”

Michael said the restaurant where she worked offered a $10,000 reward.

His aunt put up the billboard, but it didn’t help to bring in any new information.

The crime

Everything changed last week when investigators called Michael Little.

Michael Townson, 53, was indicted Monday by a Volusia County Grand Jury for first-degree murder in the cold-case killing of Linda Little, according to a statement from the State Attorney’s Office. He was in prison for a 2008 homicide.

Investigators said there could be at least two other victims tied to Townson.

Investigators told Michael Little that Townson confessed that he was celebrating his 21st birthday.

“My mom had gotten off work and went by her little neighborhood bar for a few martinis,” he said.

Townson said he met Linda Little at that bar and told investigators that she made him mad. Then he snapped.

“I really don’t want him to receive the death penalty,” Michael Little said. “I think it’s too easy.”

The killer’s confession released the invisible weight of a gnawing unknown.

The healing

“It was tough,” Michael Little said. “It felt like a weight had been released. It felt like I had lost 50 pounds.”

He said that two agencies in Florida are looking for Linda Little’s remains in an area where Townson said he buried her.

“Chances are of finding remains are kind of slim,” Michael Little said. “But then, we will really be able to put her in hallow ground.”

He is looking forward to having a memorial service, which will be the first chance he can truly grieve.

“I think that day will be the big day for me,” Michael Little said.

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