The person at the center of this case
Beth Ellen Vinson, 17-year-old female
Homicide · Open/Unsolved
32 years waiting · since 1994
VICTIM - BETH ELLEN VINSON - RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
Justice for Beth Ellen Vinson, 17-year-old female — the trail went cold in 1994, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Who was the client Beth Ellen Vinson was scheduled to meet at 2:30 a.m. on August 16, 1994?
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evidence
Lead #2Four pieces of jewelry and a multi-colored cloth purse were never recovered—do these items exist in a suspect's possession or collection?
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vehicle
Lead #3How did the Mazda 626 end up at the car dealership on Capital Boulevard, and who left it there?
On August 16, 1994, Beth Ellen Vinson, a 17-year-old working for an escort service in Raleigh, North Carolina, left her apartment at 2:30 a.m. to meet a client and was never seen alive again. Her body was discovered on August 23, 1994, covered with cardboard between two warehouses on Wicker Road, bearing over 15 stab wounds. Key items including jewelry and a multi-colored cloth purse remain missing, and the identity of her killer has never been established.
Case
#607
Raleigh Police Department / North Carolina law enforcement
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
👁️
witness
Lead #4Were there any witnesses near the warehouses on Wicker Road or the car dealership during the early morning hours of August 16?
💡
clue
Lead #5The specific nature of the stab wounds and cardboard covering may indicate the killer's method and psychology—has this been profiled?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Raleigh, North Carolina August 16, 1994 On August 23, 1994, approximately four weeks after Beth Ellen Vinson, a 17-year-old white female, left her home in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and went to Raleigh to work and save enough money to get to New York, her body was found. Ms.
Vinson’s body had been covered with cardboard, and left between two warehouses on Wicker Road. Ms.
Vinson who worked for an escort service was last seen at 2:30 a.m. on August 16, 1994, when she left her apartment to meet a client.
At 5:30 a.m. her 1990 white four door Mazda 626 was found at the entrance of a car dealership on Capital Boulevard.
Continuing investigation of this homicide, determined that Ms. Vinson was in possession of four pieces of jewelry and a multi-colored cloth purse the morning of her homicide.
These items have never been recovered. Medical examination disclosed that Ms.
Vinson had been stabbed in excess of 15 times.
Timeline of Events
👁️
1994-08-16
02:30Last seen leaving apartment
Beth Ellen Vinson left her apartment at 2:30 a.m. to meet a client for escort service work
🚗
1994-08-16
05:30Vehicle discovered
Her 1990 white four-door Mazda 626 found at entrance of car dealership on Capital Boulevard
🔍
1994-08-23
Body discovered
Body found covered with cardboard between two warehouses on Wicker Road, bearing over 15 stab wounds
Key Locations
Interactive map showing important locations related to this case
Case Information
Incident:August 16, 1994 at 2:30 AM
Last Updated:September 9, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:August 16, 1994 at 2:30 AM
Last Updated:September 9, 2026