FBI increases reward for information about 3 NC women killed within blocks of each other

The FBI has increased the reward for information on three women found slain in Lumberton over a few months in 2017, offering $75,000 and heightening the awareness of violence toward Native Americans.

The bodies of all three were found within a four-block radius. Two of them were Lumbee and the third was closely associated with the Robeson County-based tribe.

Their deaths brought new attention to the nationwide crisis facing missing and murdered native women, whom studies show are more than three times as vulnerable to violent crimes and twice as likely to be raped as women of other races.

North Carolina is home to roughly 122,000 Native Americans — the largest population east of the Mississippi River. In 2019, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a day of awareness for such crimes, citing those studies.

The first slaying in Lumberton, on April 18, 2017, came when Christina Bennett was found dead inside a television cabinet in a house on Peachtree Street. Though not a Lumbee, “Kristin” Bennett had a partner, her child’s father and friends who were part of the tribe, according to lostsoulsofamerica.com.

A few hours later, police found Rhonda Jones’ body nude and upside down in a trash can on East 5th Street nearby. Less than two months later, officers found Megan Oxendine outside a house on East 8th Street. Both women were Lumbee.

Robert M. DeWitt, the special agent in charge of the FBI Charlotte field office, said agents and police detectives have interviewed hundreds of people and followed “countless leads.” The increased reward, originally $30,000, will hopefully help.

“The Lumberton Police Department and the FBI continue to prioritize solving the deaths of Kristin, Rhonda, and Megan,” said Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill. “Though six years has passed, this is not a cold case. We continue to actively develop and follow leads. These women deserve justice, and we will not stop until they get it.”