LUMBERTON — Two years after Lumberton police found the badly decomposed bodies of two women, they continue to look for clues to what happened to them.
The bodies of Christina Bennett, known to her family as Kristin, and Rhonda Jones, were found on April 18, 2017, in the eastern part of Lumberton. A month and a half later, the decomposed body of a third person, Megan Oxendine, also was found in that area.
Oxendine had actually been interviewed by a television station after the discoveries of the bodies of Bennett and Jones. All three were known to be involved in drugs, but their bodies were so decomposed no cause of death has ever been determined.
All the bodies were found inside a four-block area, from East Fifth to East Ninth streets.
Bennett’s body was found inside a house on Peachtree Street, and Jones’ body was found soon afterward in a trash can outside a house on East Fifth Street. Police continue searching for anyone who might have had contact with either or both between April 14 and April 18, 2017.
Oxendine’s body was found outside a house on East Eighth Street in Lumberton on June 3, 2017. Anyone who had contact with her between May 31 and June 3, 2017, should contact police.
In a press release, police Capt. Terry Parker said the information is needed so investigators can put together “a more specific timeline on when the women were last seen alive.”
Anyone with information should call the Lumberton Police Department at 910-671-3845 or FBI Charlotte at 704-672-6100.
A $30,000 reward is being offered for information that helps investigators determine the circumstances that led to the women’s deaths.
Discovery of the bodies led to an avalanche of news coverage, and even speculation that there might be a serial killer on the prowl in the city.
Police Chief Mike McNeill said in the press release, “The Lumberton Police Department has spent countless hours working to determine how Christina, Rhonda, and Megan died. We have received help from fellow law enforcement agencies, the families of these women, and from the public. Unfortunately, we still do not have definitive answers for why these women are no longer with us. Autopsies and toxicology reports did not help to advance our investigations, as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was unable to determine causes of death for any of the women. The results are not uncommon considering the level of decomposition of the bodies. In cases when decomposition of a similar manner exists, law enforcement investigative details may assist the OCME to determine a cause of death. Investigative details such as when a person died, what a witness saw before the death, or other evidence can be crucial. For that reason, I once again plead to the public, help us find out what happened to the women. They were loved dearly by their families, who deserve to know what happened to them.”
