A missing North Carolina woman has been found dead in a wooded area after being last seen getting into a stranger’s vehicle.
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According to the Fayetteville Police Department, the woman, identified as 25-year-old Heather Williams, was last spotted on a Ring doorbell leaving her family’s Fayetteville home around 10 p.m. on Jan. 4. The vehicle she climbed is described as a “light-colored sedan with a sunroof.”
Williams was also seen wearing gray sweatpants and a dark-colored shirt.
On Jan. 7, the Fayetteville Police Department launched a missing persons investigation after Williams’ disappeared. Law enforcement officials issued an “endangered person” alert due to “cognitive impairment.”
Williams’ body was discovered in a wooded area near Newark Ave and State Ave. at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. The location was about five miles from where the woman was last seen alive.
The woman’s sister, Mary Williams, confirmed the shocking news about her sudden passing on Facebook.
“It is with a heavy and broken heart that our family confirms the horrific news,” she wrote. “I pray whoever is responsible for this is held accountable, and there is justice for Heather.”
The Missing Woman’s Family Believes She Had Met the Vehicle’s Driver Online
Meanwhile, Mary told local media outlet WRAL that the Williams family does not know who was driving the vehicle.
The family believes that Williams, who had struggled with cognitive impairment as well as limited speech and limited use of her right leg and right arm after being struck by a vehicle in 2015, may have met the driver online.
“She was just so trusting and naive to what the dangers were out there,” Mary explained.
Law enforcement reported that officers located the vehicle on the same day that Williams’ body was discovered.
“I just ask that people out there, if they hear anything or if they see something, you know, somebody knows something, somebody’s talked to somebody, somebody has, you know, they slip up along the way,” Mary continued. “So somebody’s got to know something.”
Investigators confirmed to CBS 17 that they have some leads. Mary continued speaking out about her sister’s passing, hoping that someone would provide information.
“What happened to Heather is awful, and I wouldn’t want it to happen to anybody else,” Mary pointed out. “And so with that person still out there, still able to harm other people, it’s horrific to think about.”
“I hope people remember Heather as somebody who has, you know, persevered and somebody who always wore a smile,” she added. “And can make people laugh, and didn’t care what anybody thought about her.”