The Iredell County Sheriff's Office says human remains found near Lake Norman in January belong to a slain Charlotte woman who disappeared in 2016.
Anastasia Talisha Meaders, 29, was last seen alive in June 2016. The Charlotte woman was known by "Star" – and the sheriff's office says she was shot to death.
Deputies found skeletal remains Jan. 15 in some woods near Bridgewater Lane in Mooresville and spent the next two days hunting the area for clues. An autopsy revealed the person died from a gunshot wound to the head, but detectives couldn't determine a gender or age because the remains had deteriorated from exposure.
That changed in October, when the University of Northern Texas Center for Human Identification notified the sheriff's office that DNA taken from a tooth came back positive for Meaders. The remains had previously been sent to N.C. State, where forensic experts spent nearly a year examining the bones, the sheriff's office said Wednesday.
It's unclear why the sheriff's office waited more than a month to publicly reveal the findings, but it says it's now launched a homicide investigation into Meaders' death.
Meaders' car – a black 2007 Chevrolet Impala – was found abandoned at Liberty Park in Mooresville in July 2016. It wasn't until August of that year that she was reported missing, according to the sheriff's office. According to WSOC-TV, Meaders was last seen by her sister on June 17 at a hair salon on Sharon Amity Road in Charlotte.
Detectives want to know Meaders' car got to the park, and they're asking anyone with information about her disappearance or homicide to call 704-928-9804.
