Durham man was killed elsewhere before he was left dead in Morrisville for weeks, police say
A 19-year-old found shot to death in Morrisville weeks after being reported missing in Durham was killed in “another jurisdiction,” before he was left in a parked car in the western Wake County town, the Morrisville Police Department said Wednesday.
Semar Barbour’s death is being investigated as a homicide, but Morrisville police are referring the investigation to authorities in that jurisdiction after an “extensive” investigation showed the Durham man wasn’t killed in Morrisville.
Morrisville police spokesman Wil Glenn declined to identify the other jurisdiction. The News & Observer has asked Durham police to confirm the investigating jurisdiction in Barbour’s death but has not received a reply.
Barbour was last seen in Durham on Oct. 23, and the car had been in Morrisville since at least Oct. 24.
Durham police issued a missing alert on Oct. 30, seeking the public’s help to find him.
On Nov. 13, Morrisville police found Barbour’s body in the backseat of a car parked near residences on Walnut Woods Drive after someone reported the vehicle to police.
Morrisville police saw Barbour had been shot several times and later learned that it was Barbour in a car that matched the description provided by Durham police.
Barbour was last seen leaving a residence on Glenbrittle Drive, located in a development in northeast Durham, police said Oct. 30.
Police said the case remains under investigation.
WRAL previously reported that Barbour’s family had organized a search to look for him, and a GoFundMe campaign was established to raise money for a reward for anyone with information on his whereabouts.
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This story was originally published November 14, 2023 at 7:27 PM.