Faith Hedgepeth’s family ‘relieved’ after arrest in her death. Read their statement.
READ MORE
Faith Hedgepeth Murder
Faith Hedgepeth was a UNC sophomore when she was killed on Sept. 7, 2012. Her murder was unsolved until Sept. 16, 2021, when Chapel Hill police made an arrest in her case. Here are stories about Hedgepeth and the case from The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun.
Expand All
The family of Faith Hedgepeth said in a statement Saturday they are “relieved” after a suspect was taken into custody in the murder of their 19-year-old daughter in 2012.
Chapel Hill police arrested Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, 28, of Durham, on Thursday, more than nine years after Hedgepeth, at the time a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill, was found brutally murdered in the off-campus apartment of a friend.
Salguero-Olivares was charged with first-degree murder and made his first court appearance in Durham court on Friday, where he was denied bond.
Hedgepeth’s parents joined state and local law enforcement officials at a news conference on Thursday, and her father, Roland Hedgepeth, was present in the courtroom Friday as Salguero-Olivares appeared via video conferencing.
On Saturday, Hedgepeth’s family said they are relieved Salguero-Olivares was arrested, and thanked law enforcement agencies that were involved in the nearly decadelong and ongoing investigation into Hedgepeth’s death.
Here is the family’s statement in full:
“Our Faith had a heart of gold and an infectious smile that illumined a room. Although her time on earth was short, Faith had an enormous impact on many. Our lives were forever changed when Faith was taken from us on September 7, 2012. We are relieved to know that someone has been arrested in Faith’s case.
We thank the members of the Chapel Hill Police Department, NC State Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies that had a hand in the investigation. We are grateful for all the support that we have received, locally and far away, over the past nine years. As we move into this next phase, we ask for your continued support, patience, and understanding as we limit commenting on the investigation.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.”
Police announce arrest
At the news conference on Thursday afternoon, Chapel Hill police said they had arrested Salguero-Olivares that morning with the assistance of the State Bureau of Investigation.
“When I got the news this morning, I didn’t do anything but cry, and thank God,” said Connie Hedgepeth, Faith’s mother. “When I cried, it was tears of joy, tears of relief, knowing that someone had been arrested in her case.”
Roland Hedgepeth said it had “been a long nine years” since his daughter’s murder and the beginning of the investigation.
“I want to thank God for this day that he allowed me to stay alive to see this day,” he added. “Of course, I know the case is not solved. This is not the end; just the beginning, but I want to thank God for that.”
Durham County District Judge Pat Evans ordered that Salguero-Olivares continue to be held with no bond after a request from District Attorney Satana Deberry.
Public Defender Ernest Smith agreed, saying that “Based on the guidelines of this court, we understand that no bond is standard.”
Outside the courtroom, Roland Hedgepeth said he felt emotional after the arrest was made, and wants the public to remember his daughter for her smile, her loving ways, and who she was, rather than as a young woman who was murdered in college.
“It’s just a new beginning,” he told reporters. “Everything is just starting.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2021 at 9:27 AM.
