Carteret County deputies believe they've found body of woman missing nearly year
Officials with the Carteret County Sheriff's Office recovered a body Tuesday they believe is that of a woman missing for nearly a year.
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On Tuesday, investigators dug up the remains of a white female wrapped in a tarp. Deputies believe it's the body of Kristen Ashley Bennett of Newport. She's been missing since Aug. 14, 2018. Her parents reported her missing two days later.
On Sept. 4, 2018, Bennett's boyfriend, Lewis Victor Branche III, also known as Trey Branche, was arrested and charged with her murder. Officials said they received and acted on information that led them to the area of Point Road and Morris Hill Lane in Mill Creek, which is property owned by the Branche family.
Items located on the body that was dug up were consistent of those reported by her family, sheriff's officials said. The body was buried several feet below the surface.
The body was transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville for official identification. An autopsy will be performed this week.
This case remains under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office thanks citizens, volunteers, and our other law enforcement partners who have assisted with the efforts to locate Kristen over the past eleven months.
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