Family Of Murdered
Teen Hanas On With Faith. Hope
(Continued From Page 1-A)
tan she wanted as a teenager. Childlike and trusting, she
had never met a stranger.
Sw uiuu'i uiiiiV iwke aiioui picking flowers from a
churchyard to bring a moment of pleasure to her mother
or to an elderly friend. "God will fpfgive me," she'd tell
them, "because I'm making you happy."
Family members and friends marveled at the compas
sion Amy had for children, for the elderly ? for any of
those society tends to forget or to mistreat. Any hint of
injustice or cruelty couid readily become the target of a
temper that could be quick, and feisty.
Compassion was Amy's gift, and her onus.
A? he i cidest sister, Leigh Ann. recalled at Amy's fu
neral, "She cared deeply for everyone around her six)
felt responsible for sharing other people's burdens. She
was always there for anyone who was hurting and she is
here with me right now. "
"...She is everywhere now and she is happy. She will
never fee! fear, pain, heartache, sorrow or frustration
again..."
"She was our special child.
"She loved life, but she felt inferior, that she wasn't as
smart as others," recalls her mother. "I think that's one
reason she reached out so to children and to the elderly."
Amy was diagnosed early as having dyslexia, an im
pairment in reading ability that is rare in females. It was
the cause of much frustration as she struggled through
school with the help of tutors that included Myra
Speake, the Frinks" next-door neighbor and pastor's
wife, and of a private center in Wilmington, The
Learning Foundation.
From childhood on she also suffered from fevers,
with temperatures running as high as 105 degrees; the
bouts seemed to come more often and more severely af
ter a benign tumor was removed from her urethra when
she was about nine years old. Quite recently the Frinks
had taken Amy to Duke University mfuiu! Cuiici foe
testing; doctors found she was suffering from a recurring
rare viral infection.
She had missed too many days of school to finish
with her class at West Brunswick High School. Amy en
rolled in Southeastern Community College's Adult High
School Diploma program in Whiteville and graduated in
May.
Excited about the future, she had signed up for fall
quarter classes at Brunswick Community College. Amy
intended to eventually major in child development and
someday operate her own day care center.
-She was a typical teenager for these days. She had
been in some pretty mugh snots," recalled her mother.
"But over the past six or nine months she was trying to
put her life in order. She was starting to get it together."
That evening of June 23 began tike many others.
After her shift ended at Crabby Oddwaters restaurant at
Sunset Beach, Amy went for an after-work swim with
friends, then returned home. She and her mother stayed
up, talking and talking into the night.
"Anytime my children wanted to talk, wc talked. It
was nothing unusual in this household for us to be up
and about at that time of night."
That night the discussion was serious. They talked
about New Age beliefs and practices and their growing
popularity with local young people, about God, and
about icSi^iuu ill gtuviai.
"She told me. 'I want you to know I really do believe
in God,'" her mother recalled. She paused, then spoke
again. "It was like I was being prepared."
Amy was extremely close to her sister Jill, older by
2X years, calling her "Mama Jill" until Amy was about 8
years old. After living on the West Coast for about 354
years, Jill had recently returned home at her younger sis
ter's urging. This particular week Jill was staying with a
girlfriend in Cherry Grove, S.C.
That morning Amy decided she wanted to see Jill.
Like most any mother would. Birdie Frink blames
herself in part for what happened after that.
"While I told her I didn't think she should go, I didn't
tell her 'No, you can't go,'" she says. "1 told her if she
did go, to sleep in that morning, then just to hang out at
the beach with Jill and (her friend^ that I'd expect her
back later that afternoon or evening."
Amy left around 2:30 a.m., with a quarter in her pock
et and plans to call the Cherry Grove residence from a
pay phone after crossing into South Carolina, which she
did. The telephone at home was blocked; Amy was
overdue paying her share of the bill.
Their last exchange was a familiar ritual played out
whenever any one of the Frinks' daughters left the house
to go anywhere:
"I love you. Mama."
"Msy your angels surround you, d?u !
Editor i Note: Investigators have established a special
number with a 24-hour answering machine to receive
information from anyone familiar with F rink's "habits
or hangouts, " or who might have seen something
suspicious the morning of June. Locally the number is
910-253-4797, or callers can use the Brunswick
( ounty Sheriff's Department 's regular numbers, 910
253-4321 or 800-672-6379. In South Carolina, calls
should be directed to the Horry County Police Depart
ment, 803-248-1250.
CrimeStoppers programs in both states are accepting
anonymous tips about the case and offering rewards for
information leading to an arrest or indictment. In
North Carolina call 800-531 -9845 and in South
Carolina call 800-248-5000.
Investigators Not Ruling Out Tie
To Disappearance From Seaside
(Continued From Page 1-A)
early morning not far from the South
Carolina line.
Asked about a possible relation
ship between the two apparent ab
ductions, Horry County Police Lt.
Bill Knowles, who is heading the
Frink investigation, said detectives
were "looking at the Melton case"
but had found "no connection yet."
"The circumstances are a bit dif
ferent." Knowles said. "She (Mel
ton) was in a large crowd when she
disappeared after riding off with an
individual."
Evidence released in the Frink
case so far indicates that she en
countered her assailant while alone
en route to meet her sister in Cherry
Grove, S.C.
Although he gave no indication
that the two cases might be related,
Knowles said, "We haven't ruled out
anything yet."
The Brunswick County Sheriff's
Department is continuing an investi -
gation into Melton's disappearance.
On the night of June 24, detectives
were scheduled to help dramatize
the incident for a CrimeStoppers
television commercial.
Unfortunately, some officers were
called away and missed their chsscc
to participate in the filming, because
that was the evening Amy Frink's
body was discovered.
Anyone who has information re
garding Melton's disappearance is
urged to contact detectives Charlie
Miller or John Ingram at (910) 253
4321 or (800) 672-6379.
' Please Come Forward/ Parents Urge
(Continued From Page 1-A)
Investigators are still trying to
piece together what happened to
Amy Frink after 2:30 that Thursday
morning, when she left her home in
the River Heights subdivision near
Shallotte to visit her sister Jill in
Cherry Grove, S.C. Air.y was last
known to be alive at 2:49 a.m., when
a message was left on Jill's answer
ing machine informing her that her
younger sister was on her way.
An aggressive two-county search
effort was launched that afternoon,
when Frink's 1988 Subaru was
found abandoned off Shingletree
Road near Hickman's Crossroads.
Puiitc immcuiaieiy suspected roui
play after finding blood stains on the
front and rear bumpers of the car.
The following afternoon, SBI
agents discovered Amy Frink 'r. bat
tered body lying beside a hunting
club road off Cemetery Road near
S.C. 211 outside Brooksville.
Horry County Police, who are
heading the investigation, have re
leased few details about what was
found at the suspected murder site.
They hope that a unique knowledge
of the crime scene will help identify
the killer.
"Beside us, there are two people
who would know certain things
about this crime, the victim and her
assailant," said Lt. Bill Knowles,
who is heading the investigation. A
murder weapon has not been recov
ered.
Frink's body was sent to Char
leston for an autopsy, where a pre
liminary report indicates she died
from a loss of blood from "multiple
stab wounds" and "blunt trauma" in
juries. Knowles said the latter
wounds could have been inflicted by
"anything from a fist to an ax han
dle."
"There is also strong evidence at
the scene to suggest that she was
sexually assaulted," Knowles said.
The report and other evidence also
inatcaic thai Frina nu run ever by
her own car.
According to the preliminary au
topsy, the pathologist "felt she was
killed shortly after making the call"
to her sister, he said. Knowles would
not comment about where police
feel that call originated, saying only
that "we have a good idea where it
came from."
Still. Knowles said there remain
"a lot of unanswered questions
about the time frame" of events sur
rounding Frink's disappearance.
Using the Calabash Emergency
Mcdkal Scrvicc building 3S a base
of operations, the joint task force
will continue conducting interviews
this week. Data from these conver
sations are being fed into a
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart
ment computer for cross-referencing
and analysis with help from the FBI.
Knowles praised local sheriff's
detectives for their efforts in the in
vestigation. He said numerous calls
have been received from the public,
offering information about the case,
but more help is needed.
"Without the assistance of the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart
ment, there's now way we'd be in
the position we're in today,"
Knowles said. "We're still hoping
thz! SOfypy who h? JUS? heard
about this case will remember see
ing something that might help us."
Anyone familiar with Amy
Frink's travels on the night of her
murder, or anyone with other infor
mation about the ca*e is urged to no
tify authorities through Horry
County CrimeStoppers at (800) 248
5000, North Carolina Crime
Stoppers at (800) 531-9645 or
through a special 24-hour telephone
line set up at the Brunswick County
Sheriff's Department specifically for
the Frink investigation. That number
is (910) 253-4797. All calls will be
kept confidential.
South Brunswick Area Gets 3 Inches Of Rain
After a very dry spring area resi
dents received more than week's
worth of rain over the past week and
can expect more rain over the next
few days.
Instead of the 1 inch to 1M inches
of rainfall typical this time of year,
meteorologist Jackson Canady mea
sured 3.19 inches of rainfall at bis
Shallotte Point residence for die pe
riod June 28 through July 4.
"Finally some areas are getting
some rainfall that had not received
any," he said.
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Near-normal temperatures and
rainfall are expected over the next
several days, he said. Area residents
can expect at least 1 inch of rainfall
coupled with temperatures averag
ing from around 70 degrees at night
into the upper 80s during the day.
For the period June 28 through
July 4, Canady recorded a high of
89 degrees on both June 28 and July
2, and he recorded a low of 69 de
grees on June 29.
A daily average high of 87 de
grees combined with a nightly aver
age low of 69 degrees for a daily av
erage temperature of 80 degrees,
which he said is about 1 degree
above average for this time of year.
TO HUHMatAtKON
Established Nov. 1. 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte. N.C 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
One Year .-$10.36
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Second class postage paid at
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Our Men !n Green
US. Marines from Camp Lejeune wave to the crowd of onlookers as their armored personnel carrier
rumbles through Southport during the N.C. Fourth of July Festival parade Monday morning.
Boards Talk Money; No Results
(Continued From Page 1-A)
other teachers improve their skills in
subjects iH whid1. ^ crKnolc Kay#
shown documented weaknesses.
Commissioner Wayland Vereen said
some of the teachers who have been
contacted about the posts don't want
to leave their classes and would
rather other teachers visit their class
rooms instead.
Superintendent Ralph Johnston
presented the school board's basic
appeal, then school board members.
Finance Office Rudi Connor and
Johnston answered a series of pre
pared and off-the-cuff questions
posed by commissioners.
Johnston stressed the school sys
tem's efforts over the past two years
to achieve greater accountability and
cost effectiveness in use of its re
sources, saying the schools need to
be operated "like big business."
"I believe the school system is be
ing responsible and accountable to
the citizens of Brunswick County
and I'd like to correct that mistaken
impression," Johnston told commis
sioners. He pledged those efforts
would continue in 1994-95 as the
school system goes to a proposed
centralized purchasing and invento
ry system and begins using software
to determine more efficient ways to
utilize personnel.
Among the budget priorities cit
ed: matching state salaries for local
ly-paid employees, establishing a
site for an alternative school to pro
vide concentrated assistance to
"problem" students while removing
their disruptive presence from regu
lar classrooms; funding to maintain
and continue school system gains in
use of technology; and continuation
of the high schools' extended day
program using county money.
In setting its 1994-95 budget the
county allocated an additional
$337,203 to the schools, an increase
of 4 percent in current expense dol
lars over 1993-94. While County
Finance Officer Lithia Hahn indicat
ed in a memo to commissioners that
the figure is $25,867 more than the
continuation budget increase the
school board first sought, school of
ficials say the figure is barely ade
quate to meet anticipated state-man
dated increases in salaries and bene
fits and increases in routine costs
such as insurance and utilities.
In an amended request, the school
board said it needs $9.72 million in
county oment expense money, or
$954,408 more than the $8.76 mil
lion allocated by commissioners,
plus another $297,500, including
$150,000 for the alternative school,
$135,000 for 3.5 computer teach
ing/technology positions, and
SI 2^00 (o reflect increased local
matching costs for two continuing
nrACTfamo ? Tmhum FCai AilS
Council arts in education pilot pro
ject at Southport Elementary and the
UNC-W clinical teaching program.
The schools' local budget reflects
the absence of last year's $1 million
special technology appropriation,
the likelihood of a much smaller
(about $150,000 down from
$600,000) fund balance to draw
from, and Ion of a $126,000 Job
Training Partnership Act grant
Last July the Brunswick County
Board of Education joined a grow
ing number of school systems
statewide in appealing its county ap
propriation for the 1993-94 school
year. After a joint meeting brought
no budget change the appeal contin
ued to Clerk of Superior Court
Diana Morgan and on to a routine
mediation procedure used in an at
tempt to resolve without trial most
cases entering 13th District Superior
Court.
Last Aug. 10. after approximately
14 hours of give-and-take, a consent
agreement was reached by the two
boards. The commissioners allocat
ed, with conditions, $500,000 to
ward construction of a new Leland
Elementary School, with the possi
bility of advancing another
$365,000 for the project. The school
board agreed to transfer $556,000
from other capital outlay areas to
meet its day-to-day operating ex
(jciucs. Both boards agreed to "initi
ate staff contacts" hold joint meet
ings "from time to time" and to have
their leaders meet regularly to dis
cuss the county's educational needs.
Later in the year, commissioners
bypassed the school board and,
based on recommendations from the
Brunswick County Principals'
Association, allocated another
$250,000 for school equipment
specified on wish lists submitted by
each principal.
State law governing school sys
tem budget appeals requires that, be
fore an appeal advances beyond the
joint meeting," both commissioners
and school board members must
make "a good faith effort to reach
agreement" after the schools' budget
request has been "considered care
fully and judiciously."
Correction
Contrary to background informa
tion included in a June 30 article in
The Brunswick Beacon on personnel
transfers made by the Brunswick
County Board of Education, Wac
camaw Elementary School was not
the only county school during the
1993-94 school term to have a prin
cipal and single assistant principal
of the same race.
We regret the error.
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