‘Shatter the Silence’: North Carolina advocacy group calls for answers in more than 200 unsolved missing and murder cases

LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) — This week marks 5 years because the mysterious deaths of three girls in Lumberton. One of many victims’ moms hopes to search out solutions within the unsolved case and greater than 200 different chilly instances.

Shelia Value has compiled a pocket book with footage and notes on greater than 200 lacking and murdered folks all through the area, with instances spanning a long time.

“Each image on this pocket book, I do know their moms are crying out like me, wanting justice,” Value stated.

The pocket book contains data on her personal daughter, Rhonda Jones, whose physique was discovered bare in a dumpster. The our bodies of Christina Bennett and Megan Oxendine had been present in the identical East Lumberton neighborhood across the identical time.

“My daughter didn’t should be thrown in a trash can,” Value stated. “I promise, whoever did that may pay for touching that, as a result of that was mine. You had no proper to place your fingers on her. That’s the place you tousled — whenever you killed that one, I began combating for these three, then. All of them.”

After her daughter’s loss of life, Value began networking. She discovered others with comparable experiences — a useless relative and no solutions. She began the group “Shatter the Silence” as a assist group for these with lacking or murdered family members, however it will definitely grew to become far more.

“I believed it was simply going to be a bunch the place we may speak to one another, consolation one another,” Value stated. “Then it began rising and folks stated we would have liked to start out marching. I stated, ‘Properly, we will do this.’”

Shatter the Silence now has almost 10,000 members on Fb. The group recurrently attends high-visibility occasions in Robeson County, just like the Lumbee Homecoming and Lumberton Christmas Parade. Members enhance their vehicles with photos of the family members they misplaced and carry an enormous banner that includes their faces.

“As a result of folks see us, folks hear our voices,” Value stated.

She stated because the work continues, she has began to see extra folks take discover. Tales of victims related to the group have been picked up by TV stations, newspapers and podcasts from across the Carolinas and past.

“Shatter the Silence helps and we’re being heard.” Value stated. “It took us 5 years and we’re nonetheless getting began, as a result of the group retains rising, and we’re combating.”

Regardless of the progress, the overwhelming majority of the instances stay unsolved. Value stated the uncommon ones that finally get solved can typically take years to play out in courtroom and lead to lighter sentences than the victims’ households would like. She needs to see systemic change to deal with that.

“One thing must be achieved. We’d like stricter legal guidelines and stricter punishment,” Value stated. “Primarily stricter punishment, as a result of on this county, folks know you’ll be able to simply kill anyone, go to courtroom, pull a pair years and be again out.”

She stated till all of the instances in her pocket book are solved, Shatter the Silence isn’t going anyplace.

“I’m bored with crying,” Value stated. “That’s why I do what I do, as a result of I’m drained. I shouldn’t have needed to play detective for 5 years. Nobody is paying me to maintain all these information or reply the telephone at 2 a.m. as a result of a mom needs me to pay attention and discuss their baby. However I do it as a result of I understand how they really feel.”

Shatter the Silence will host a celebration of life for Jones, Bennett and Oxendine on Saturday at Luther Britt Park in Lumberton. It begins at 1 p.m. and can characteristic displays from activists, advocates and households of victims.