The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office is seeking information about the slaying of Misty Lynn Carter, 21, of Mountain Home. Carter's nude body was found early Oct. 19 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Around 6:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the sheriff's office received a call from a motorist who found Carter's body — at that time unidentified — a few feet from the roadway close to milepost 395 near Glenn Gap.
"Initially we classified it as a 'suspicious death,' but it became clear this was a homicide," Lt. Ross Dillingham told Xpress. "We put information out to media to try to identify the body."
Eventually Carter's family confirmed her identity. She was six weeks pregnant.
The crime is the first recorded killing in unincorporated areas of Buncombe County this year, and Dillingham asserted that the sheriff's office is taking it extremely seriously.
"Since her body was identified, we've been working around the clock," Dillingham said. "We've got seven detectives pursuing leads in this case."
Medical examiners have finished an autopsy, but the sheriff's office is holding off on releasing the cause of death for fear of hampering the investigation.
Anyone with information about Carter's murder can contact the sheriff's office directly at 250-4506 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, contact Buncombe County Crimestoppers at 255-5050.
