News 14 Carolina in cooperation with the Cue Center for Missing Persons in Wilmington, is taking a closer look at some unsolved missing persons cases around our state.

Oldest missing persons case in NC gets new look

One of the oldest unsolved missing person cases in North Carolina is getting another look by investigators. Leila and 4-year-old Mary Bryan went missing on May 10, 1941 in Carolina Beach. Shortly after they disappeared, the case received national attention. However to this day, no one really knows what happened to the mother and daughter duo.

Search continues for missing mother

Jessica Lowery, 25, disappeared in December of 2005 from Robeson County. Her family now hopes that anyone with information will come forward. Since her disappearance, there has been little to no information in the case.

Hoke County investigators look into two cold cases

Two missing persons cases in Hoke County are getting a fresh look from investigators. Both Troy Jacobs and Roger Chambers’ case puzzles detectives because there are few clues to work from. However, family members and law enforcement hold out hope that someone knows details that will help investigators.

Volunteers search for Wilkes Co. man missing 2 years

The search continued this weekend for a Wilkes County man who has been missing for more than two years.

N.C. Missing generates 60 tips in 2010

Every month, News 14 Carolina in cooperation with the Cue Center for Missing Persons takes a closer look at some unsolved missing persons cases from around our state. While our stories have generated numerous tips, too many cases go unsolved.

Family of Asha Degree still hopeful 11 years after disappearance

Asha Degree was nine years old when she walked out of her home near Shelby in the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day, 2000. Motorists saw the young girl walking highway 18 at 4 a.m., but she was never to be seen again.

Search for missing boy continues 10 years later

Four-year-old Tristen “Buddy” Myers disappeared from his rural Sampson County home nearly a decade ago. His disappearance unfolded just months after the boy came to live with relatives in North Carolina. Roseboro residents and investigators still hold out hope they will find out what happened.

Cue Center Road Tour aims to solve cases in North Carolina

Leah Roberts went missing in 2004. The NC State grad disappeared while on a cross country trip. Her case is the inspiration for the Cue Center’s annual Road Tour. Now volunteers set out on a grueling journey bringing attention to other unsolved cases, including some from right here in North Carolina.

Family continues search for missing son

Dedrick Smith, 26, disappeared from Winston-Salem in October 2006. Smith suffers from a mental illness and is in need of medication. Police and family continue to search for answers in his case.

After 10 years, daughter still searching for missing mom
Ten years have passed since Pamela Bradshaw disappeared from Wilmington. Now her only child is back in town handing out fliers and meeting with the investigators on the case.

3 cases of missing North Carolina men still unsolved

Missing children often dominate headlines. But across North Carolina, there are hundreds of adults who disappear, leaving family members distraught and with many questions.

Cue Center conference wraps up with candlelight ceremony

Family and friends lit candles Saturday night in honor of murder victims and those still missing. The candlelight service wrapped up the Cue Center’s annual conference this weekend.

Forensic artist gives new hope to 1978 missing child case

After 31 years of not knowing, Donna Green could be a step closer to finding her missing child, all because of a chance meeting with world renowned forensic artist Diana Trepkov.

911 call changes direction of missing woman investigation

At first, investigators thought Shonda Stansbury, a woman who went missing in 2006, may have left on her own, but a 911 call a few days later told a different story.

Friends hope new information will lead to justice

Debbie Key disappeared from a Carrboro bar in 1997. Authorities believe she was murdered, but her body was never found. A man even confessed to killing her, but that admission was thrown out, leaving friends and family wondering if justice will ever be served.

Missing Since: 04/08/08
Missing from: Gastonia, North Carolina
Classification: Missing
Date Of Birth: 03/05/86
Age at disappearance: 22
Height: 4’8″-4’9″
Weight: 90-95 lbs.
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Brown/Blue
Race: White
Gender: Female
Distinguishing Characteristics: Light complexion.
Tattoo of the name Ricky on right ankle
Clothing: Possibly wearing large white T-shirt over blue jeans.

Details of Disappearance

Fraley was last known to be at or near her apartment at the Copperfield apartment complex in the 1800 block of Lowell Bethesda Road, in Gastonia, North Carolina on April 8, 2008. She was suffering from stomach flu and had been to the hospital twice the previous day. She called her mother at around midnight and said she was sick again. At 1:30 a.m., Fraley called a friend and said someone was going to pick her up and take her back to the hospital. She has never been heard from again.

Fraley left her purse, wallet, keys and identification behind at her residence. Two days after her disappearance, a utilities worker found her cellular phone at the intersection of south New Hope Road and east Hudson Boulevard, three miles from her home. Several phone calls were made from the phone at 4:30 a.m. the day she disappeared. None of the calls turned out to be connected to her disappearance; they were apparently from the phone’s list of recent calls dialed. The phone also received a call early on the morning of April 9. Police stated by the time they took possession of the phone, it had been handled by too many people to be valuable as evidence.

Fraley was engaged to be married at the time of her disappearance. Her fiance’s father, Ricky Dale Simonds Sr., is considered a person of interest in her case. He did maintenance work at the Copperfield complex, he lived two apartments over from her and was one of the last people to see her; he gave her a ride to the hospital emergency room a few hours before her disappearance, and another neighbor drove her home. Simonds refused to take a lie detector test in Fraley’s case. He has a criminal record for fraud, larceny and drug charges, and he served time in prison in the 1980s for manslaughter in connection with the strangulation death of an ex-girlfriend.

In June 2008, another ex-girlfriend found Simonds’s body in the trunk of her car. The woman had filed a restraining order against him after her car was broken into and her purse and keys were stolen. When she found the body, her keys were in Simonds’s pocket and her purse was in the trunk with him. Authorities believe he hid inside the car trunk in order to ambush his ex-girlfriend, and he got trapped there and died of heat stroke. It was only after his death that police said they suspected him of involvement in Fraley’s disappearance. There is no proof that he harmed her, however; no charges have been filed against anyone in her case due to lack of evidence.

Fraley was a part-time student at Gaston College at the time of her disappearance. Investigators don’t believe she left of her own accord, as she had no driver’s license and no transportation and it’s uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. Her fiance was incarcerated at the time of her disappearance and therefore isn’t considered a suspect. Little evidence is available in her case, which remains unsolved.

Americas Most Wanted

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Gaston County Police
(704) 866-3320
OR
Crime Stoppers
(704) 861-8000

12/06/2009- Video-Family of missing Gaston Co. woman asks public for help

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August 15, 2009
Story link
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LOWELL, N.C. — Gaston County investigators searched a lake on Tuesday, looking for clues in the disappearance of 22-year-old Jaime Fraley.

Fraley has been missing since April 9.

Investigators went to Lake Armstrong off Lowell Bethesda Road at about 9 a.m. Tuesday. They searched most of the day, but found nothing.

Gaston County police would not confirm they were searching the lake as a result of a tip, but divers said they brought cadaver dogs out on boats and the dogs hit on something at both ends, but the search turned up nothing.

If you have any information on this case please contact CUE Center For Missing Persons using the contact form below or contact Cue Center at (910) 343-1131   24 hour tipline (910) 232-1687.

All information submitted to CUE Center For Missing Persons is confidential.

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