Teen’s roadside cold case death probed as homicide as police officer emerges as person of interest: report
More than two decades after a North Carolina teen died in what was considered a hit-and-run, investigators now say a police officer has been identified as a person of interest in the homicide case.
According to reporting by WRAL, investigators have recently focused on a Four Oaks police officer in the 2004 death of 16-year-old Josh Davis. The officer has not been charged, and the extent of any involvement remains unclear.
Davis died Jan. 6, 2004, after he was walking along Hall Boulevard in Garner, according to investigators.
Authorities say Davis and his cousin had been walking through a residential neighborhood when the cousin briefly returned to a nearby home to retrieve something. When he returned minutes later, Davis was bleeding on the side of the road and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
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Investigators previously believed Davis had been struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run. He was found with a fatal head injury, though for years it remained unclear whether his death was the result of an accident or something more intentional.
Now, more than 20 years later, Garner police are working alongside the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) to pursue new leads. The renewed investigation has gained momentum in recent weeks, with officials confirming in mid-April that new information had emerged.
A search warrant cited by WRAL indicates investigators developed information from a former spouse of the officer who is a person of interest and noted inconsistencies in statements given in 2004 and again in recent interviews.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave, and authorities searched a home in Benson in late March, seizing electronic devices as part of the investigation, the outlet reported.
In a statement shared with WRAL, NCSBI confirmed it is assisting Garner police and actively investigating new leads but declined to provide additional details.
"The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Garner Police Department with information concerning a 2004 cold case," the agency said. "The SBI is actively investigating new leads in this case. At this time, no additional information is available."
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As the case resurfaces, Davis’ family is urging anyone with knowledge of what happened to come forward.
"Somebody watching this video knows who killed my brother," his sister, Alyssa Hatcher, said in a recent public message.
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Hatcher said she was just 13 years old when her brother died and described the lasting toll on her family, which has spent decades without answers.
"For two decades now, my family has had no answers," she said. "Until now, I feel like we might get a little bit of closure."
In a direct appeal, Hatcher addressed the individual who is responsible for her brother’s death, urging them to speak with investigators.
"I’m not coming at you with anger as Josh’s little sister," she said. "I don’t feel like you set out that night knowing someone would lose their life. … I would just love if you could go talk to the detectives."
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She also claimed that people in the community have long discussed what happened that night without reporting it.
"We know that one person who has gone around and talked about that night over and over again," Hatcher said. "Possibly bragged about that night."
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Authorities are echoing that call.
"The Garner Police Department is asking for the public’s help in an unsolved homicide case," the agency said in a release, urging anyone with information "no matter how small or seemingly insignificant" to contact investigators.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Garner Police Investigations at 919-772-8810.
Fox News Digital has reached out to NCSBI, the Garner Police Department and the Four Oaks Police Department for additional comment.