Unsolved sexual assault/homicide.

On May 21, 2002, Stephanie Renee Bennett, a 23-year-old white female with brown hair and brown eyes who stood 5' 5" and weighed 125 pounds, was found sexually assaulted and murdered in her apartment located in northwest Raleigh, North Carolina. Stephanie recently had graduated from college and had lived in the apartment for about 10 months with two female roommates, one of whom was her stepsister. At about 3:30 p.m. on May 21, 2002, Stephanie's stepsister authorized apartment management personnel to enter the apartment for a welfare check after she could not contact Stephanie at the apartment. Stephanie was discovered deceased.

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The Crime Scene

Stephanie Renee Bennett and her two roommates lived on the first floor of a three-bedroom corner apartment in a building centrally located within the complex. Evidence suggested that the offender's initial contact with Stephanie was in her bedroom. Egress into the apartment appears to have been made by removing the screen to an unlocked window in one of the unoccupied bedrooms. Even though there was very little disturbance within the apartment, including no signs of a struggle, some articles (pictures and stuffed animals) deliberately had been moved from one location to another. Additionally, a cordless telephone unit, consisting of the base and handset, was disconnected from the cord in the bedroom and placed in the bedroom closet. The offender took the victim's nightwear and an old stereo when he left the apartment.

Stephanie was found completely nude, lying on her back, with her legs spread open and her head titled to one side. In her mouth was a gag (a pair of unused panties that belonged to one of her roommates). Visual marks were on Stephanie's wrist and ankles and are contributed to a form of restraint used by the offender to immobilize her. These marks are similar to those left by handcuffs or a narrow type of restraint, such as a telephone cord or electrical ties. A well-defined ligature injury mark encompassed Stephanie's neck and several marks at the rear base of her neck gave the appearance that a garrote-type device was used in conjunction with the ligature. The restraints and ligature were removed by the offender and taken with him when he left the crime scene. An autopsy report disclosed that Stephanie was sexually assaulted orally, anally, and vaginally. DNA from the unidentified offender has been profiled and is maintained in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Laboratory.

Alert to Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies should bring this information to the attention of all crime analysis and sexual assault units, as well as officers investigating crimes against persons. Also, the offender's DNA profile should be provided to local and state laboratories for comparison purposes. Any agency with similar crimes should contact Homicide Detective Lieutenant Chris Morgan of the Raleigh, North Carolina, Police Department at 919-890-3934 or Crime Analyst Glen W. Wildey, Jr., ViCAP, Quantico, Virginia, at 703-632-4166 or [e-mail].