SALISBURY, N.C. — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for two cold cases in Salisbury.
The state rewards focus on two separate unsolved killings, one occurring two years ago and the other nearly a decade ago.
Salisbury police officials hope the financial incentives will encourage witnesses to come forward and assist investigators in bringing resolution to the victims’ families.
Brion Grier was killed by gunfire two years ago while walking down a Salisbury road. He would have turned 17 years old this year.
His mother, Nicole, remembered his personality and spoke about the impact of his loss.
“BJ was funny. The jokester. He loved sports. He loved games. He just liked to laugh,” Nicole said.
She noted that the new reward offers a path toward answers in her son’s case.
“So all I can do is see this as an opportunity to get closer to bringing my son’s murderers or killers to justice,” Nicole expressed.
Ayanna Allen was 7 years old when she was killed nearly 10 years ago after being shot 20 times. She also would have turned 17 years old this year.
Her grandmother, April Woodberry, shared the family’s ongoing grief and appeal for information.
“I just wish my baby was here with us,” Woodberry said. “But I wish someone would come forward.”
Salisbury Police Department Detective Adam Dyles said investigators hope the rewards will generate critical leads.
Dyles appealed specifically to anyone who may have seen anything on the night of Grier’s death around Fulton Street near the bridge.
The newly announced rewards follow a previous reward Stein’s office issued last October for another unsolved case in Salisbury.
That case involved the August 2024 deaths of 3-year-old Myisha Angle and her grandfather, who were killed when more than 30 shots were fired into a house on Rowan Mill Road while they were sleeping.
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