The Murder of Faith Hedgepeth (2012)

Faith Hedgepeth had everything going for her. At just 19 years old, she was a bright, ambitious college student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She dreamed of becoming a doctor, driven by a deep desire to give back to her Haliwa-Saponi Native American community. But on the morning of September 7, 2012, Faith’s promising future was stolen in a brutal and baffling murder that remains one of North Carolina’s most haunting cold cases.

Faith was last seen alive in the early hours of that day. The night before, she and her roommate, Karena Rosario, had gone to a local bar, The Thrill, around 12:30 AM. They left about an hour later and returned to their off-campus apartment. Karena then left again, reportedly after an argument with her ex-boyfriend, leaving Faith alone in their shared home. By the time Karena returned around 11 AM the next morning, she found Faith dead in her bedroom.

The crime scene was shocking. Faith had been beaten to death, her head suffering severe trauma, likely from a blunt object. Blood covered the room, and a fast-food bag was found nearby with the chilling handwritten message: “I’M NOT STUPID BITCH JEALOUS.” The brutality of the attack and the strange note suggested deep anger, possibly a crime of passion or revenge.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on people in Faith’s life. Karena’s ex-boyfriend, Eric Takoy Jones, had a history of violence and had previously threatened Faith, blaming her for problems in his relationship with Karena. But his alibi appeared solid. Others in their social circle, including men Faith had dated or been in contact with that night, were also investigated, but nothing concrete emerged.

One of the most perplexing pieces of evidence was a voicemail retrieved from Faith’s phone. The recording, captured around the time of her death, featured muffled voices, crying, and what sounded like an argument. Some experts believed it recorded the actual murder or events leading up to it, but its poor quality left much to interpretation.

DNA evidence was collected from the scene, including semen, leading investigators to believe that Faith had been sexually assaulted before her death. Despite this, years went by without an arrest. In 2016, police released a composite sketch based on the DNA profile, suggesting the suspect was a male of Native American or Latino descent. But the identity of the killer remained unknown.

For nearly a decade, Faith’s family and friends waited for justice, refusing to let her case fade into obscurity. Finally, in September 2021, there was a breakthrough: police arrested 28-year-old Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, a man whose DNA matched the evidence left at the crime scene. At the time of Faith’s murder, he had been living in the Chapel Hill area but was never a publicly known suspect.

While his arrest brought some answers, it also raised new questions. How did he know Faith? Was this a premeditated attack, or did something happen in the moment? Most importantly, was he the sole person responsible? Investigators have remained tight-lipped about many details, and the full story of what happened that night is still unraveling.

Faith Hedgepeth was more than just a crime victim — she was a young woman full of hope, intelligence, and kindness. Her murder shocked Chapel Hill and beyond, leaving an enduring wound in her community. As her family continues to seek justice, they hold onto Faith’s memory, hoping her tragic end will not be the final chapter of her story but rather a reminder of the urgent need to protect and uplift Indigenous women and all victims of violent crime.

The case is ongoing, and as more details emerge, the hope remains that Faith’s loved ones will one day have the full truth and closure they deserve.

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