New info released in case of woman's body found in 1997

LAKE NORMAN, N.C. — Deputies released a new sketch of a woman whose body was pulled from Lake Norman in 1997. She was never identified.

It was June 1997 when a fisherman found the woman close to the Highway 150 bridge that crosses between Catawba and Iredell counties.

Bill Stanley has been fishing the area for nearly three decades. He remembers the case and is glad deputies haven't given up on it.

"If they can find it out it would be good because you know somebody is missing and might not know who it is and where it is. Keep working it until you get it,” Stanley said.

Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid helped investigate the case in July 1997.

At first, they were told it was an Asian woman's body, but he said new technology at North Carolina State University led them to believe she was a Hispanic woman about 38 years old. They released a computer-generated sketch Tuesday.

"There's somebody out there who doesn't have a clue where she's at or what happened to her and we'd really like to bring closure to that family," Reid said.

She died from asphyxiation after either being smothered with a pillow or choked to death.

Deputies shared (a photo of?) a gold necklace with pearls on it that was recovered from the scene. They hope by identifying her they can someday find the person responsible.

"I tell you, I hope they get it solved. I pray to the Lord that they will get them solved and find out what happened to the young lady,” fisherman Billy Lookabill said.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Violent 72 hours after 12 shot, 5 killed over Labor Day weekend
• 1 killed in fiery crash in front of Carolina Place Mall
• Family mourns after 7-year-old boy shot to death in Charlotte
• 3 killed in plane crash at North Carolina quarry
• Man shot in leg in SW Charlotte is weekend's 12th shooting victim

WSOC