NC Wanted: Stabbing death of woman on day before wedding anniversary remains unsolved

On June 18, 1984, 19-year-old Linda Meeker failed to show up for work at a steel factory in Roseboro. Worried, her sister went to her home to check on her, and found Meeker’s naked body lying on the bathroom floor.

“When she was at home, by herself, her door was always locked, but it wasn’t locked that night when we went up there,” her sister, Barbara Strawderman, said.

Meeker was stabbed three times in the chest. Investigators said the murder was sloppy and reckless, but the killer took care with the body, covering the stab wounds with a wash cloth.

“The person who did this had to have a lot of care, concern or love for this woman,” said former Sampson County Sheriff Landis Lee.

Meeker was killed one day before her first wedding anniversary. Investigators said she had sex shortly before she was killed, but the DNA tests proved it was not with her husband.

“Based upon the physical evidence at the scene, there’s a strong possibility that there was not a lot of time that elapsed between the sexual activity and then the actual murder,” said retired State Bureau of Investigation agent Sam Pennica.

Meeker’s husband, Howard, said he left for work while his wife was getting ready the morning of her death. Investigators said he didn’t return home on the night of the murder and wasn’t located until 9 p.m.

Anybody with information is asked to call 1-866-439-2683.