The Unsolved Murder of Faith Hedgepeth: A Decade of Grief, an Arrest, and a Trial Still Pending
On September 7, 2012, the vibrant college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was shaken to its core by the brutal murder of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Found bludgeoned to death in her off-campus apartment, Faith’s killing sparked a sprawling investigation that would stretch nearly a decade before an arrest was made. In September 2021, Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares, a 28-year-old Durham man, was charged with her murder, bringing a glimmer of hope to a case that had long haunted her family and community. Yet, as of March 16, 2025, the trial remains pending, leaving Faith’s story—an aching blend of loss, perseverance, and unanswered questions—far from its final chapter.
A Life Full of Promise Cut Short
Faith Hedgepeth was more than a victim; she was a dreamer with roots in the Haliwa-Saponi tribal community of Warren County, North Carolina. A biology major on a scholarship at UNC, she aspired to become a pediatrician or teacher, intending to return home to serve her people. Known for her infectious smile and loving spirit, Faith was a member of the Carolina Indian Circle and a volunteer at the American Indian Center, balancing academics with a deep connection to her heritage. “She was just a joy to be around,” her mother, Connie Hedgepeth, told People in 2020, recalling her laughter and warm hugs.
That September night began innocently enough. Faith and her roommate, Karena Rosario, attended a sorority rush event at UNC’s Davis Library before returning to their apartment at Hawthorne View (now Preserve at the Park) on Old Chapel Hill Road. Around midnight, they headed to The Thrill, a now-defunct nightclub on Rosemary Street. By 4:25 a.m., Karena left with her ex-boyfriend, Eriq Takoy Jones, leaving Faith alone. Seven hours later, at 11:03 a.m., Karena returned with a friend, Marisol Rangel, and called 911, her voice trembling: “There’s blood everywhere.” Faith lay lifeless on the bedroom floor, partially unclothed, beaten savagely with a Bacardi rum bottle, her skull fractured from blunt-force trauma.
A Crime Scene of Clues and Confusion
The scene was a tableau of violence and mystery. Blood spattered the walls and closet door, a pool forming near Faith’s body. A rape kit confirmed sexual assault, yielding semen that would become a pivotal clue. On the bed, a white fast-food bag bore a handwritten note in black marker: “I’M NOT STUPID BITCH JEALOUS”—a taunt that baffled investigators. The rum bottle, wiped of fingerprints but bearing a palm print, added to the enigma. No signs of forced entry suggested familiarity, yet the savagery pointed to rage or calculation.
Chapel Hill Police launched an exhaustive investigation, interviewing thousands and collecting over 200 DNA samples. Early suspicion fell on Jones, whose DNA didn’t match, and Karena, whose alibi held. A 2016 composite sketch from the semen’s DNA profile—a man with short dark hair—yielded no hits. The case grew cold, its twists fueling podcasts, TV specials, and public fascination, but answers eluded all.
A Breakthrough Nine Years Later
The turning point came in 2021, thanks to genetic genealogy—a technique blending DNA analysis with ancestry databases. Chapel Hill Police, with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), traced DNA from the rape kit, the rum bottle, and the note to distant relatives of Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares. Interviews and voluntary DNA from his family confirmed the match, a palm print on the bottle sealing the link. On September 16, 2021—nine years and nine days after Faith’s death—Salguero-Olivares was arrested at his Durham apartment, charged with first-degree murder.
“I didn’t do anything but cry and thank God,” Connie Hedgepeth said at the press conference, tears of relief mingling with grief. Roland Hedgepeth, Faith’s father, called it “a new beginning,” honoring his daughter’s memory as “a person, not just the young lady who got murdered.” The arrest, hailed by Police Chief Chris Blue as a testament to “partnership, persistence, and the power of DNA,” reinvigorated a weary investigation.
Who is Miguel Enrique Salguero-Olivares?
Salguero-Olivares, 28 at the time of his arrest, was 19 when Faith died—an immigrant from Guatemala who arrived in the U.S. in 2010. A painter by trade, he lived in Durham but had ties to Chapel Hill, including a stint at an apartment complex on Ephesus Church Road. He was never a UNC student, and his mother insisted to WRAL, “My son is not a murderer. He said he don’t know the girl.” Private investigator Hunter Glass, who worked the case, recalled Salguero-Olivares’ name surfacing as someone at a party near Faith’s complex, though he “didn’t stick out.” Police have not confirmed this, leaving his connection to Faith—if any—a question mark.
A month before his arrest, Salguero-Olivares was nabbed for DUI in Raleigh with a .20 blood alcohol level, listing a pizzeria as his employer. Seized items from his apartment—six cell phones and a laptop—hint at police seeking digital traces of the crime, but no revelations have followed.
A Trial Delayed, Justice Deferred
By March 2025, Salguero-Olivares faces not just murder but additional charges filed in November 2024: first-degree burglary, rape, and sexual offense, alleging he broke into the apartment and assaulted Faith. Yet, the trial remains unscheduled, mired in a mountain of evidence—over 39,000 pages, days of audio and video, and 30 expert witnesses, per WRAL’s 2023 court records. “The discovery is extraordinary,” Assistant DA Kendra Montgomery-Blinn told a judge in 2023, citing forensic delays and digital analysis. On January 16, 2025, attorneys signaled readiness to set a date, with DA Satana Deberry moving the case past administrative limbo into trial prep—a step forward, but no resolution.
“It’s been two years and it’s not very different,” Roland Hedgepeth told WRAL in 2023, frustration mounting as the wait drags on. The DA’s office, not seeking the death penalty per a 2021 filing, calls it a “non-capital” case, promising diligence but offering no timeline. “Murder cases can take years,” spokesperson Sarah Willets noted in 2024, a cold comfort to a family in limbo.
A Legacy and a Question
Faith Hedgepeth’s murder resonates beyond Chapel Hill, spotlighting violence against Indigenous women—a crisis DA Deberry highlighted in 2021, noting murder rates “10 times higher than the national average” in some communities. Her spirit endures in UNC’s memorials and her tribe’s vigils, a reminder of what was lost. For true crime followers, the case is a labyrinth: Was Salguero-Olivares a lone killer, driven by jealousy or impulse, or part of a broader web, as Glass suspects? The note, the bottle, the DNA—all pieces of a puzzle still assembling.
As of March 16, 2025, Faith’s family waits—Connie’s tears of joy now tempered by time, Roland’s hope tested by delay. The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office Unsolved Cases page doesn’t list her, but her story aligns with their mission: justice elusive yet pursued. Until the gavel falls, Faith Hedgepeth remains a name whispered in sorrow and resolve—a case arrested, but not closed.