BROOKFORD, N.C. — A candlelight vigil is planned for Friday night in Catawba County where police are trying to solve a more than 30-year-old cold case involving a teenage girl.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty spoke with loved ones of 13-year-old Denise “Dee Dee” Dawkins, who was found dead along the banks of the Henry Fork River in 1992.
Police reopened the case last summer but now, Brookford Police Chief William Armstrong is under investigation for tactics he allegedly used to find the killer.
Family members said they appreciate what Police Chief Armstrong is doing to help solve the case.
Earlier this week, we learned Armstrong is being investigated by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation on allegations he secretly recorded a man he thought could be tied to the cold case murder.
State investigators executed a search warrant at the Brookford Police Department and on Armstrong’s phone after he allegedly left his cell phone recording inside the house of a man he’d just interviewed about the case.
Armstrong said it was an accident and got his phone back after about 10 minutes.
We spoke with Kessiah Young, Dee Dee’s cousin, and others about the allegations. Armstrong has yet to be charged with anything.
“It’s really rare for law enforcement to go against another law enforcement agency. You would think that would be something major that a law enforcement officer had done,” Young said.
Young’s wife, Stephanie, said they’re not sure if the investigation is meant to shut down the case or shut down Armstrong: “Either way it’s not right.”
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police in Catawba County reopen 13-year-old girl’s 1992 murder case ]
Both women believe the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office may be hindering the investigation.
We reached out to the sheriff’s office and they say that’s completely without merit.
The vigil for Dee Dee on Friday night is set to take place at a baseball field next to the Brookford Town Hall.
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