Group to keep up billboards of missing, slain women
Relatives and friends of eight missing or slain Rocky Mount women held a fundraiser Saturday to keep up three electronic billboards aimed at raising awareness about the cases.
Posted — UpdatedThe families have formed the community group MOMS (Murdered or Missing Sisters). They used fish fries and motorcycle rides to raise money for the billboards, which show each woman individually and then all together. A question mark represents a sixth unidentified victim.
“Each of us has lost someone so we know how the other one feels,” said Tynatta James, whose sister, 50-year-old Ernestine Battle, was reported missing Feb. 2, 2008.
Battle’s remains were discovered on March 14, 2008, along Seven Bridges Road in Edgecombe County.
The bodies of Jarniece Latonya Hargrove, 31; Taraha Shenice Nicholson, 28; Melody LaShae Wiggins, 29; and Jackie Nikelia Thorpe, 35, were all found in the same area. A sixth body discovered in February has yet to be identified.
“You get no closure from it,” Mitchell said.
Two billboards are on U.S. Highway 301, and the other is near Winstead and Sunset avenues.
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