482-4418
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
50*
Center Hill Chapel
Baptist Church
The 110-year-old church
provides counseling,
library to community
Inspiration, C8
Candlelight Tour
Edenton gears up for the event
See below
jTree stand
| Do's and
iDon'ts
i
i
| Sports, B3
Clue surfaces
in mystery of
unkown bones
BY MARGARET FISHER
The Perquimans Weekly
HERTFORD — Human re
mains found in the basement
of a local church several
months ago are most likely
those of a black woman in her
30s, a bone analysis conducted
at East Carolina University
suggests.
The study of the human
skull and two femur bones also
suggests the woman was no
more than 5-feet, 10-inches tall,
Megan Perry, an assistant pro
fessor of anthropology at ECU,
said.
There is no evidence from
the skull to suggest the woman
died after being hit by a blunt
object, Perry said.
The identity of the woman,
her exact age and how the
bones ended up in the base
ment of Hertford Baptist
Church still remain a mystery,
however.
Perry conducted tests on the
remains after they were dis
See BONES, Page A2 V
Daily Advance file photo
A skull and two thigh
bones found in Hertford
recently are believed to
be from a black female.
The exact age of the
bones is unknown.
INDEX
A Local
Opinion.A6
Land Transfers......... A7
B Sports
Recreation News...... B1
Nascar.B2
C Community News
Upcoming Events.C2
Society..... C4
Obituaries...C6
Church...C7,8
D Classifieds
Employment..D1
Service Directory.D2
Buy/Sell/Trade......D4
■ Vv v ■!, ■ s' ifti
02006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
FIRE TREATED AS ARSON FOR NOW
Patrick Cumby
Edenton Fire Department firefighters work to put out a blaze that destroyed a South Oakum
Street home in the town's historic district ojn Thanksgiving morning.
Investigators probing cause of Thanksgiving Day fire
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Local and state investigators
are treating a blaze that destroyed
a historic district home on
Thanksgiving morning as a po
tential arson.
Eenton Police Det. Dwight
Rawlins said investigators have
leads into the fire that erupted
inside a 114-year-old home at 210
S. Oakum St. last week.
“We don’t have any suspects,”
he added. “We just have leads.”
Through Monday, Rawlins only
had interviewed Tina Rodriguez,
the owner of the home. The home,
known as the Camilla L. Skinner
House, was built in 1892.
“It’s the worst fire in a long time
in the historic district,” Edenton
Fire Chief Charles Westbrook said..
There were no injuries reported,
officials said.
Rawlins said he expects to inter
view other family members and
friends of Rodriguez.
“Everybody’s going to be inter
viewed,” he added.
Rawlins said he would not be sur
prised if an arrest is made once in
terviews are concluded over the next
several weeks.
“It doesn’t look good,” he added.
“And arson may not be the only
charge.”
He said Monday no evidence had
been found that an accelerant had
been used to aid the blaze.
Rodriguez was the only person in
the home when she was awakened by
a smoke detector. After going outside
and seeing flames coming out of the
front of the home, she called 911:
Firefighters were on the scene for
about three hours, Westbrook said.
Fire stormed through the two-story
front of the home, leaving only a
frame of charred timbers. Westbrook
said he wasn’t sure when a fire as bad
had struck a historic distinct home.
Rodriguez purchased the home in
August, shortly after finalizing her
divorce, Rawlins said. She was restor
See BLAZE, Page A2 ►
J.A. Holmes
student faces
minder charge
Knife found on high school
campus in related incident
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
Holmes student, Donavan T. White, 17,
is charged with allegedly murdering a Bal
timore man in Maryland last month.
“It appears that rob
bery was the motive
for the crime,” Nikki
Monroe, public infor
mation officer with
the Baltimore City Po
lice Department, said
Monday.
Using surveillance
videos set up around
Baltimore as well as
other sources, a pos
sible suspect was identified and his where
abouts linked to Edenton, Monroe said.
White was charged with premeditated
malice and murder in the death of Joe Bra
dley, 39, of Baltimore.
Video footage shows an assailant ap
proaching the victim as he sits on a park
bench, then striking him over the head
with a blunt object, knocking him to the
ground. The assailant then rummages
through the victim’s belongings for a
few minutes before fleeing the scene,
court records say.
Phone records for Bradley’s cell
phone were used in the investigation.
Bradley was transported to the hos
pital for treatment, dying later that
day. His death was ruled as a homicide
caused by blunt force trauma, the au
topsy says.
Chowan County Deputy Greg
Whitehurst took White into custody
Nov. 20 for questioning about the ho
micide when it was discovered that
White was allegedly in possession of
a knife on the Holmes campus. White
was subsequently arrested.
If convicted of all charges, White
faces the death penalty for first-degree
murder, up to 20 years for the armed
robbery, up to three years for posses
sion of a deadly weapon with intent to
injure, up to 18 months for theft of less
than $50 value (cell phone), and up to five
years for reckless endangerment.
White made his first appearance in court
Nov. 21 and will return to court on Dec. 19
in Maryland.
White
Christmas Candlelight Tour prepares to welcome visitors
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
BevKirchmiei; cochair for this
year’s Christmas Candlelight
Tour, said Tuesday that organiz
ers are anticipating a strong turn
out based on advance sales and
inquiries.
"Our advance ticket sales have
been strong, and we’ve been get
ting lots of phone calls from
people interested in coming,” she
said.
In fact, the biggest challenge
the tour, sponsored by the
Edenton Historical Commission,
is facing so far is the challenge of
helping everybody who wants to
come find rooms.
“All the local B&B’s have been
booked up for the last six months
In advance of the tour,” Kirch
mier said, “so now we’re getting
calls from people asking us to
help them find a place to stay”
Self-guided tours of local
homes will take place next Friday
and Saturday, Dec. 8-9, from 4-8
pm.
Companion events are sche
duled to include: the Barker
House Holiday Repast, the Cu
pola House Wassail Bowl and the
Iredell House Groaning Board,
which take place both days from
1-5 pm.
The Chowan Arts Council’s
Confection Perfection which will
welcome visitors Friday and Sat
urday from 4-9 pm.
There will be caroling on the
green outside the 1767 Chowan
Courthouse Friday evening start
ing at 6 p.m.
And, Saturday morning at 11
a.m.,. Santa will arrive in style
during the Edenton-Chowan
Christmas Parade.
Tickets are $25 per person or
$20 for groups of 20 or more. Chil
dren 12 and under will be admit
ted free of charge.
More information is available
from the Chamber of Commerce,
(252) 482-3400 or 1-8007750111.
Beauti
fully
decorated
homes
will be
open Dec.
8-9 for
the
annual
Candle
light Tour.
Rocky Hock Opry
E.A. Swain Auditorium
Edenton, NC
c .. * . Tickets $10.00 Available At
maay, V6C. 1, J:$U pm Bynjm true Value Hardware - Downtown Edenton 232-412-2131 Woodard'j Pharmacy - Downtown Hertford 252-420-5527
Saturday, Dae. 1, 7:30 pm Acoustic Coffee - Downtown Edenton 252-482-7465 > Had orders call 252-221-4875 or 252-340-3438
Nixon family Resturant - Rocky Hock 232-221*2244 Sponsored by Rocky Hock Ruritan * Relay for Life Team