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Dead men’s bodies still missing, as two Raleigh murder suspects appear in court

Raleigh police are still searching for two homicide victims who have been missing for nearly a week, and their families pleaded Monday for help finding their bodies.

Brendan Hurley, 23, and Anthony McCall, 21, were reported missing Wednesday. Three days later, police charged two men with their murder: Ryan Veach, 19, and James Daishawn Robinson, 21.

Both had their first appearance in court Monday, where District Court Judge Margaret Eagles told them they could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

After they were led from the courtroom, friends and family embraced.

“I’d like to know where my son is,” said Laura Hurley of Franklinton. “He doesn’t deserve to be dumped somewhere like a piece of trash.”

Laura Hurley of Franklinton holds a picture of her son Brendan, who was killed and remains missing along with Anthony McCall. Two men charged with first-degree murder had their first appearance in Wake County court Monday.
Laura Hurley of Franklinton holds a picture of her son Brendan, who was killed and remains missing along with Anthony McCall. Two men charged with first-degree murder had their first appearance in Wake County court Monday.

Police have released few details about the case, and Hurley said she knew nothing about what led to her son’s death. She said her son worked as a chef and had a 2-year-old daughter. Neither she nor McCall’s girlfriend, Katelin Brown, had ever seen Veach or Robinson before.

“You probably know as much as I do,” Hurley said.

McCall and Hurley were last seen Tuesday on Neuse Landing Lane in North Raleigh. Facebook posts from a friend said Hurley’s car was found abandoned on Garner Road in Raleigh.

In a public Facebook post Monday, Laura Hurley asked for volunteers to help search at the intersection of N.C. 231 and Covered Bridge Road in Zebulon.

Andrew Francis Carroll, 16, has been charged as an accessory in the case. He is accused of arranging for Hurley’s car to be scrapped and bringing it from Zebulon to a metal recycler on Garner Road.

Laura Hurley said her son, who lived in Youngsville, and McCall were friends.

“They’re goofballs,” she said. “They talk crap about Fortnite ... If my son was in any kind of trouble, we have no secrets. I think it was wrong place, wrong time.”

Memorial contributions are being collected at gofundme.com/f/memorial-for-my-son-brendan.

The killings are at least the 16th and 17th homicides in Raleigh this year, according to statistics provided by the Raleigh Police Department.

There were 16 homicides in Raleigh in all of 2018, Deputy Chief Karen Riggsbee said last month.

This story was originally published July 22, 2019 at 3:58 PM.

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Josh Shaffer
The News & Observer
Josh Shaffer is a general assignment reporter on the watch for “talkers,” which are stories you might discuss around a water cooler. He has worked for The News & Observer since 2004 and writes a column about unusual people and places.
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