Human remains found behind church in Charlotte, North Carolina, identified as missing Virginia teen Ashanti Billie
Police say that the human remains found behind a church in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 30 are those of 19-year-old Ashanti Billie who went missing on September 18. Friends and co-workers first became concerned when Billie didn’t show up for her job at a sandwich shop on the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia. She also didn’t show up for her culinary classes at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach, according to CNN. A worker cutting the grass found Billie’s body behind the East Stonewall AME Zion Church in Charlotte on Friday morning.
“It is with deep regret that I inform the community that Ashanti Billie has been located, deceased, in Charlotte, North Carolina,” said Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to CBS affiliate WTVR. “I, along with the entire investigative team, offer our most sincere condolences to the Billie family, especially Ashanti’s parents Brandy and Tony. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”
Authorities said that only a few hours after she was reported missing, Billie’s cell phone was found in a trash bin in a residential area of Norfolk. Five days later on September 23, her cream-colored Mini Cooper had been found abandoned in a neighborhood not far from the military base where she was last seen. A cause of death has not yet been released. Police also say they don’t know how the teen ended up in Charlotte, more than 300 miles away from where she went missing in Virginia.
At a September 30 news conference, Billie’s parents remained fervent and strong. Ashanti’s mom, Johnson Billie, was quoted at that press conference by The Washington Post as saying, “The person or persons that decided they wanted to take my baby away from us . . . you are a coward. You don’t deserve to breathe the air that she breathed.” Her dad, Meltony Billie, said, “This was not one of the outcomes we were seeking, but yet still we stay in the fight because there are other young people who are out there missing. Our desire and our prayers were answered. She’s home. She’s home with God.”
The FBI along with the Blimpie sandwich shop where Billie worked have joined forces and are offering a $20,000 reward for information that will help solve the teen’s murder. Anyone with information is asked to call the Virginia Beach Police at 757-385-5000, CrimeLine at 1-888-Lock-U-Up or FBI Norfolk at 757-455-0100.
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Written by: Ace News Today Staff
