2004 Garner murder case: Officer placed on leave, considered person of interest in homicide

A new lead has emerged in a decades-old cold case of a popular Garner teen’s mysterious death.

Josh Davis was 16 years old when he was killed on Jan. 6, 2004. In 2007, investigators concluded that Davis was hit by a car and died from his injuries. Twenty-two years later, officials consider the case a homicide and are continuing to investigate all possible angles.  

In recent weeks, the focus has shifted to a Four Oaks police officer.

The extent of the officer's involvement is still unclear, as the officer is described as a person of interest in the case. No charges have been filed as of Friday.

WRAL News is not naming the officer as they have not been charged at this point. A warrant revealed authorities worked off a tip from a former spouse of the officer and labeled the officer as a suspect.

On Monday, April 20, the Four Oaks Police Department confirmed the officer is a person of interest in the 2004 homicide investigation. The officer is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Garner Police Department. The investigation started on April 16.

A warrant said the officer was uncooperative and unresponsive in recent attempts to schedule an interview about the case and gave "numerous inconsistencies" in statements in 2004 and again in 2025.

On March 31, the officer in question's home in Benson was searched by the State Bureau of Investigation, which is assisting Garner police in the case. Authorities seized an iPhone and a laptop, according to the warrant. 

The SBI released a statement on the matter, saying, "The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Garner Police Department with information concerning a 2004 cold case. The SBI is actively investigating new leads in this case. At this time, no additional information is available, and we will share new details as they become available."

The Four Oaks police department was unavailable for comment on Friday. WRAL News reached out to the officer, but has not heard back.

For years, officials believed Davis was hit in the head by something on Hall Boulevard in Garner. It wasn't known if it was accidental or an intentional act.

Garner police said he and a friend had just left his mother’s house and were walking along the road at about 7 p.m. to get to his father’s home in the same neighborhood.

A friend of Davis said he ran back to his mother's house to get a CD and a shirt. When he returned, Davis was lying on the side of the road, dead from a blow to the head.

Davis would have turned 38 years old this year. His father, Dave Davis, said the pain from losing his son so young still surfaces at times. He was told about this break several weeks ago.

"I guess I'm just more baffled that someone can go 22 years without telling anybody or living without telling that they did this," Davis said on Friday. "I just never thought I'd come back to this again. It's just really crappy to live half of my life with this."

On Monday, Judy Creech, Josh Davis's mother, said that her son and the person of interest "were friends."

Three months ago, Garner police posted a notice on its Facebook page in hopes of convincing someone to come forward with new information. The post classified the case as a homicide.

The tragic and seemingly senseless death has perplexed locals and law enforcement for years, but investigators hope this development can bring some closure.

"Anyone who’s ever worked here has been interested in the case,” Garner police detective Michael Hammerstein said in January. “Garner was a small town then and still is in some ways.”