Ten years have passed since 18-year-old Walmart employee Sara Graham vanished while driving to work and mystery continues to surround what happened to her.
Graham was reported missing on February 4, 2015, after her abandoned van was discovered in a field near Fairmont, North Carolina.
A mysterious element of the case surrounds the van’s discovery. There was no damage to the vehicle or signs of a struggle, such as track marks or broken earth, around it.
Adding to the puzzle, the van was locked, a feature not typical of older models, suggesting someone manually locked it using the key.
The discovery of the abandoned van prompted the Fairmont Police Department to launch a search for Sara, deploying 140 local volunteers and a K-9 unit. Despite these efforts, Sara’s case remains unsolved.
On the anniversary of her disappearance, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins made a renewed plea for information at a press conference, emphasizing the belief that someone in the community holds crucial information.
‘It is never too late to share your information,’ Wilkins urged, acknowledging that loyalties and perspectives may have shifted over time. He confirmed the investigation is being treated as a homicide.
Graham, who had moved from Texas just six months prior to her disappearance, was last seen leaving her home on Centerville Church Road around 6.30am to go to work at Walmart in Pembroke.
Ten years have passed since 18-year-old Sara Graham vanished from Robeson County, North Carolina, prompting Sheriff Burnis Wilkins and the FBI to renew their call for public assistance in solving the case.
Graham was last seen leaving her home around 6.30am to go to work at Walmart. Her abandoned vehicle was found later that day near I-95 in a wheat field
She never arrived. Her abandoned vehicle was found later that day near I-95 in a wheat field.
The FBI has doubled the reward for information leading to Graham’s whereabouts from $5,000 to $10,000 and released an audio recording stating, ‘Everything we’ve learned about Sara tells us that she did not take off on her own.’
The recording highlights her responsible nature, her job at Walmart, and her happiness in North Carolina, suggesting someone close to her is withholding information.
In June 2023, the Sheriff’s Office and the FBI searched the home of Sara’s father, Hubert Graham, seizing several items.
Sheriff Wilkins declined to comment on the specifics of the search due to the ongoing investigation.
Hubert Graham, Chief of the Rowland Police Department, and Sara’s stepmother, Connie, both worked at the Fairmont Police Department, where Hubert was a Sergeant and Connie was a Deputy.
After Sara’s disappearance, Connie was fired from her job as a Deputy, with the Sheriff’s Department citing ‘Personnel Issues’ as the reason for her termination.
Graham told ABC 15 he was informed of the press conference but not invited.
The investigation is being treated as a homicide. Sara’s abandoned van is seen above
The FBI has doubled the reward for information leading to Graham’s whereabouts from $5,000 to $10,000
He stated he would have attended if invited and reiterated his desire to know what happened to his daughter, urging anyone with information to come forward.
He confirmed the searches of his home in both 2015 and 2023, stating all confiscated items have been returned.
Graham has since hired an attorney and declined further comment. In a 2022 interview with ABC 15, he expressed concerns about how the FBI was treating him and mentioned rumors surrounding his daughter’s disappearance.
Sara, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, was raised by her mother in Texas but moved back to North Carolina after high school to live with her father and stepmother.
Not much is publicly known about Sara’s relationship with either family member.
According to the Red Justice Podcast, Sara’s relatives described her as ‘shy until you got to know her’ and ‘the kindest, sweetest person’.
A statement from Sara’s mother, who lives out of state, was read aloud: ‘All of our family loves and misses our Sara Nicole so much. We ask that anyone who knows anything…that can help us…please, please help us.’
Anyone with information about Sara Graham’s disappearance is urged to contact the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3100 or the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office at 704-672-6100.
