The Unsolved Murder of Barbara Jean Anderson: A Mother’s Life Lost in the Woods
On June 12, 1997, a fisherman’s routine outing near the Cape Fear River in New Hanover County, North Carolina, turned into a grim discovery that would haunt the region for decades. In a wooded area off River Road, close to Independence Boulevard, the lifeless body of 37-year-old Barbara Jean Anderson was found, her death swiftly ruled a homicide. Strangled with a coat hanger twisted tightly around her neck, Barbara’s murder was a brutal act that left behind three children, a grandchild, and a family desperate for answers. As of March 16, 2025, nearly 28 years later, no arrests have been made, and her case remains a stubborn mystery on the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Unsolved Homicides list—a testament to a killer’s evasion and a community’s unresolved grief.
A Day of Devastation
Barbara Jean Anderson’s final hours are a patchwork of fleeting glimpses and unanswered questions. On June 10, 1997, she was last seen alive around 5:00 p.m. at a convenience store at the intersection of Burnett Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. She was living with her daughter Jennifer in an apartment in Dove Meadows at the time, helping raise her young granddaughter. That evening, something drew her away from home—perhaps a casual errand, a meeting, or a moment of vulnerability she couldn’t foresee. By the medical examiner’s estimate, she was killed just hours later, her body dumped in the secluded woods off River Road, an area then known for illegal trash dumping and now part of the Riverlights development.
Two days later, on June 12, a fisherman ventured down a dirt path off River Road to cast his line near the water’s edge. Instead, he stumbled upon Barbara’s body, wrapped in plastic, a dirty bed sheet, and a blanket—a makeshift shroud that concealed her until that moment. Deputy John Corpening, a seasoned investigator with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, later recounted the scene: the fisherman had been sifting through debris when he found her, a discovery that turned a quiet afternoon into a crime scene. The autopsy revealed the chilling cause of death—strangulation by asphyxiation, the coat hanger twisted at least 17 times with a stick, a methodical act of violence that spoke to both rage and deliberation.
A Mother and a Memory
Barbara was more than a victim—she was a vibrant presence in her family’s life. At 37, she was a mother of three and a grandmother to one, a woman whose distinct laugh could light up a room. Her daughter Jennifer, speaking to WWAYTV3 in 2022, remembered her as a devoted caregiver who “was always there,” helping with her daughter and bringing joy to her many nieces and nephews who adored her. “She had tons of nieces and nephews that looked up to her,” Jennifer said. “My mom was a great person.” Yet, Barbara’s life wasn’t without struggles. Corpening hinted at “issues” she faced—possibly tied to drug use or a transient lifestyle—that may have placed her in a dangerous situation that night.
Those struggles, however, didn’t define her to her family. “It doesn’t matter the type of life they lived,” Jennifer insisted. “It still doesn’t give a person a reason to take anybody’s life.” Barbara’s death at 37 meant she never saw 40, never met most of her grandchildren, and left a void that time has only deepened. Her murder, Jennifer said, was “the worst day of my life,” a sentiment that echoes through the years as her family continues to seek closure.
The Investigation: A Trail of Silence
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office threw its resources into the case, but the investigation hit roadblocks almost immediately. The wooded area off River Road offered little in the way of witnesses—just trees, trash, and the river’s edge. The fisherman’s discovery was a stroke of luck, but it didn’t yield immediate suspects. Early on, detectives considered and cleared six individuals, including Michael Herd, a friend of Barbara’s who was briefly a person of interest. In a 2014 interview with WECT, Herd spoke emotionally about being linked to the case: “Upset because my name was brought up into this, angry because they looking at me as some type of a killer, sad because my friend is gone.” He denied any involvement, calling for the real killer to come forward.
The physical evidence was compelling yet limited. The coat hanger, the plastic, the blanket—all pointed to a killer who took steps to dispose of Barbara’s body—but no fingerprints, DNA, or other forensic breakthroughs have been publicly tied to a suspect. Deputy Corpening, reflecting on the case in 2022, suggested Barbara’s lifestyle might have intersected with danger she couldn’t control, but he offered no specifics. A year into the investigation, leads dried up, and the case went cold, joining a growing list of New Hanover County’s unsolved homicides.
Theories and a Persistent Hope
Speculation has swirled around Barbara’s death. Her reported struggles with crack cocaine and occasional prostitution—details noted in StarNews reports from 2008—suggest she may have crossed paths with someone in Wilmington’s underbelly. Was she targeted by a john, a dealer, or an acquaintance who exploited her vulnerabilities? The methodical strangulation and body wrapping imply premeditation, not a spur-of-the-moment act, yet the dumping site—a known trash spot—hints at convenience rather than careful planning. Could her killer have been a local familiar with the area, or a transient passing through?
Jennifer Anderson doesn’t know who did it and refuses to let theories consume her. “I don’t wish this on my worst enemy,” she told WWAYTV3, focusing instead on her mother’s memory and the need for justice. The Sheriff’s Office has kept the case active, periodically revisiting evidence with modern forensic tools, but no arrests have materialized. Tips are still sought through the Detective Division (910-798-4260) or Crime Stoppers, with a reward of up to $5,000 offered—an incentive that has yet to break the wall of silence.
A Legacy Unfinished
Barbara Jean Anderson’s murder is a wound that festers in New Hanover County—a mother stolen from her children, a grandmother denied her legacy. The woods off River Road, now overshadowed by the Riverlights shopping and dining hub, belie the violence they once concealed. For Jennifer and her family, the fight continues. “She’s not going to stop looking for that final piece of information,” WWAYTV3 noted in 2022, a resolve that mirrors the Sheriff’s Office’s quiet determination.
As of March 16, 2025, Barbara’s case remains a stark entry in North Carolina’s true crime annals—a story of loss, resilience, and a killer who slipped into the shadows. For true crime readers, it’s a puzzle that begs for resolution: Who strangled Barbara that June night, and why? Until someone speaks—or science unveils the past—her laugh, her love, and her life linger as a call for justice, unanswered but unforgotten.