DNA provides break in UNC student's murder

CHAPEL HILL -- DNA evidence left at the scene of the murder of a UNC-Chapel Hill student last September has provided a break in the case, Chapel Hill police announced Tuesday morning.

The body of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth was found at about 11 a.m. Sept. 7, 2012, by her roommate in the apartment they shared at 5639 Old Chapel Hill Road (Hawthorne at the View apartment complex).

The investigation has revealed that Hedgepeth and her roommate went to a local Chapel Hill nightclub, The Thrill, early that morning. She was last known to be alive around 3 a.m. at the apartment.

The Chapel Hill Police Department investigators have partnered with other local, state and federal agencies on the case. Evidence analyzed by the N.C. State Crime Lab has revealed DNA left at the scene by a male suspect, according to police.

Investigators are confident this DNA will identify the offender and help us to exclude individuals not involved in this crime, police said in a news release.

After consulting with the Federal Bureau of Investigations Behavioral Analysis Unit, police now believe identifiers of the offender may include:

The suspect was familiar with Hedgepeth and may have lived near her in the past.

The suspect was unaccounted for during the early morning hours of Sept. 7, 2012.

The suspect may have made comments regarding Hedgepeth to close associates in the past.

There may have been some change in the suspects behavior after the murder (including an unusual interest in the case) or a change in his performance at work or school.

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DNA provides break in UNC student's murder