Durham police hope new focus on case will bring women's killers to justice

Durham police on Tuesday spotlighted the murders of two women who were slain in 1994, an unresolved cold case that has baffled investigators for years.

Posted 6:36 p.m. Oct 1, 2019 — Updated 1:18 a.m. Oct 2, 2019

Sarah Krueger

, WRAL reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham police on Tuesday spotlighted the murders of two women who were slain in 1994, unresolved cases that have baffled investigators for years.

Police said Frances Wheedleton, 35, was found dead in a parking lot on East Ramseur Street on Feb. 9, 1994, five days before the body of Kimberly Thompson, 24, was found in a parking lot next to 504 Holloway Street.

The building where Wheedleton's body was found is now a church, but, at the time, it was a Substance Abuse Clinic.

Police say both women were killed with the same kind of gun, and both were believed to be involved in prostitution at the time of their deaths.

"Just reading the case file, I know there are people that we talked to," said police Sgt. Raul Garcia. "Unfortunately, over the course of time, they disappear. There were some leads we weren’t able to follow up on. So, we know that there are people out there who knew her, and they knew about her enough to give us information then. And we still think they’re out there right now."

Durham police are hoping that by bringing renewed interest in the cases, someone will recall enough detail to help police solve the cases.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Durham Police Department Homicide Cold Case Unit at (919) 560-4118, or Crimestoppers, where callers remain anonymous, at (919) 683-1200.

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