This Small-Town Pageant Queen Teen Had Dreams Of Becoming A Dancer, But She Was Fatally Stabbed 15 Times Shortly After Moving To The Big City In 1994
In 1994, Beth-Ellen Vinson was a small-town girl with big dreams.
The seventeen-year-old was known by her family as a beautiful and headstrong young woman who planned to move to the big city and make it as a dancer.
Beth-Ellen had already won numerous dance awards and was even a successful beauty pageant queen.
So, in July of 1994, she made her first move to Raleigh, North Carolina, with her boyfriend, Rick. Afterward, she had a goal of later traveling to the big apple.
In order to afford her stepping stone Raleigh apartment, though, Beth-Ellen was, unfortunately, forced to go on paid dates.
And even though she believed this job opportunity would help her save up enough money to fund her New York City move, it ultimately led to her losing her life.
Early in the morning on August 16, the company Beth-Ellen worked for called her with a job opportunity. So, she freshened up, said goodnight to her boyfriend, and left her apartment at about 2:30 a.m.
And tragically, that was the last time Beth-Ellen’s boyfriend saw her alive.
FBI; pictured above is Beth-Ellen
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Three hours later, at 5:30 a.m., a used car lot employee arrived for their shift and discovered Beth-Ellen’s car blocking the lot’s entrance.
The employee immediately contacted police to report the vehicle, and, due to the odd manner in which it was parked, authorities began investigating the white 1990 Mazda 626.
Officers immediately noticed that all of the car windows had been rolled down, the radio was still blaring, and one of Beth-Ellen’s shoes was left behind on the driver’s side.
While authorities were making these discoveries and beginning to suspect foul play, Beth-Ellen’s boyfriend, Rick, also arrived on the scene. He told the police that he was also out looking for Beth-Ellen because she had been out all night and never returned home.
So, authorities quickly launched a search– but Beth-Ellen’s remains were tragically discovered one week later.
On August 23, 1994, employees of a warehouse on Wicker Road began complaining of a foul smell. So, the warehouse’s owner inspected the building that afternoon and discovered Beth-Ellen’s remains in a small ditch, hidden under some pieces of cardboard.
The coroner’s office later revealed that she had been stabbed fifteen times.
And three days later, the North Carolina Governor’s Office, in collaboration with the Raleigh Crime Stoppers, announced a six thousand dollar reward for anyone with information regarding the murder.
By September 8, 1994, the reward doubled to twelve thousand dollars.
FBI; pictured above is a VICAP poster regarding Beth-Ellen’s case
Sadly, though, Beth-Ellen’s case has still remained cold for over twenty-eight years now.
In May of 1996, investigators did release more information regarding Beth-Ellen’s missing possessions. She had reportedly been wearing three rings at the time of her murder.
One was a size six faux silver mood ring. The second was a fourteen-carat yellow gold ring with two amethyst stones and a garnet stone in the center that was also a size six. Finally, the third ring was a sterling silver Gorham brand Chantilly pattern 1970s spoon ring.
Beth-Ellen was also missing her purse, which was a pull-string shoulder bag made of burgundy, burnt orange, and brown cloth. A figure of a cowboy was woven into the material.
However, despite authorities’ beliefs that these belongings may have been given to someone following Beth-Ellen’s murder, they have never been recovered.
And even though investigators have continued to work toward serving justice in Beth-Ellen’s case, her mother sadly passed away in 2017 without ever learning who murdered her daughter.
Nonetheless, there is still a twelve thousand dollar reward available for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Beth-Ellen’s perpetrator(s).
If you have any knowledge about the case, you are urged to contact the Raleigh Crime Stoppers at (919) 834-HELP or the Raleigh Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at (919) 890-3555.
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