As loved ones remember slain Hickory woman on her birthday, accused couple still on the run

HICKORY, N.C. — Family and friends gathered Thursday to pray months after a woman was killed at her job in Hickory.

Phelifia Michelle Marlow was shot to death on Jan. 13. Two months later, police are still trying to find the co-worker accused of pulling the trigger, Tangela Parker, and her husband Eric Parker.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty has followed every development in this story and on Thursday, spoke with Marlow’s family.

Phelifia Michelle Marlow's family Phelifia Michelle Marlow (far right) and her husband and daughter. (WSOC)

[ PAST COVERAGE: Reward upped to $10K in search for couple accused in deadly shooting at Hickory furniture plant ]

[ PAST COVERAGE: Search intensifies for couple weeks after deadly shooting at Hickory furniture plant ]

[ PAST COVERAGE: NC couple subject of manhunt after wife kills co-worker following workplace dispute, police say ]

Thursday would have been Marlow’s 52nd birthday and loved ones gathered at her gravesite to remember her.

Channel 9 spoke with Marlow’s husband and daughter on Thursday.

“Make today a day of something my mother would want, a day of happiness,” daughter Makayla Marlow said. “A day of happiness. A day of my family being together.”

They said they are in disbelief that Tangela and Eric Parker have not been found, but they believe police and federal authorities are doing everything possible to locate the couple.

Police said Tangela Parker shot and killed Marlow at TCS Designs in Hickory, where they both worked. Detectives said that the week prior to the shooting, Tangela Parker had been suspended by the company for three days after a workplace dispute with Marlow.

Investigators said that since the slaying, there has been no activity on the couple’s credit cards or bank accounts. Federal marshals said they have gotten two dozen tips spanning across six states. Authorities said the couple got rid of Tangela Parker’s cellphone near Collettsville in Caldwell County.

Tangela and Eric Parker Fugitives Tangela Parker and her husband, Eric Parker, were arrested Tuesday, July 13, 2021, by U.S. marshals in Phoenix. The couple was wanted in the Jan. 13, 2021, killing of Tangela's co-worker, Phelifia Michelle Marlow, 51, at the Hickory, N.C., furniture plant where the women worked. (Hickory Police Department)

On Thursday, Justin Marlow had a message to share for the Parkers.

“You’ve destroyed our family almost. Turn yourself in,” he said. “You’re not going to be able to run forever. You’re not going to. You’ve hurt a lot of people.”

Federal marshals are offering a $10,000 reward in the case. Authorities are still looking for the couple’s 2019 gold Honda CRV. They said it’s possible the license plate tag has been swapped.

This browser does not support the video element.