CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After nine years and nine days, an arrest has been made in the killing of a 19-year-old woman.
Faith Hedgepeth, a UNC student at time of her killing, was found beaten to death inside her Chapel Hill apartment in 2012.
Police and Special Bureau Investigators spent thousands of hours conducting countless interviews and analyzing nearly 300 DNA samples, but the case went cold over the years, until now.
Chapel Hill police held a news conference, alongside Hedgepeth's family and N.C. Attonery General Josh Stein, Thursday afternoon and announced 28-year-old Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares is charged with first-degree murder in her death.
Hedgepeth's mother said she cried tears of joy Thursday morning when she heard the news there had been an arrest made in her daughter's case. Hedgepeth's father said he was stunned and felt like he was back in time to the day he learned of his daughter's death.
Salguero-Olivares is being held at the Durham County Jail without bond set.
Stein said Wednesday a sample generated a match to a DNA profile derived from the original crime scene, but declined to release more details on what led to the arrest.
In 2016, Chapel Hill police used a snapshot tool, which is used to create a three-dimensional image and released a composite sketch for who they believe killed the UNC student. Officials said they confirmed Salguero-Olivares' characteristics matched the sketch.