Gaston County Police Warn Residents, Especially Women, After 2 Found Slain

Eyewitness News was there Friday as York County sheriff's deputies took a surveillance camera tape from a store that is just feet from where a homicide victim lived.

The Grab And Go Citgo store on Bessemer City Road sits right in front of the home where police said 30-year-old Randi Saldana was staying on Shannon Bradley Road.

The manager there didn't want her name used, but said Saldana was a regular in her store.

"She was in here all the time for years. She was very nice, and had a really good personality," she said.

The manager said her surveillance cameras save video of the parking lots for 30 days. The store is also a truck stop with a large rear parking lot for 18-wheelers.

York County Sheriff's Office Capt. Jerry Hoffman would not say why investigators wanted the video or what they thought it might show.

It's been over three weeks since the body of 17-year-old Heather Catterton was found near a York County creek. Catterton and Saldana knew each other well, and family members said that's why they believe their deaths are connected.

"Somebody must have known something they weren't supposed to know," said Catterton's cousin, Randy Funderburk. He didn't know his cousin well, but he was a pallbearer at her funeral.

"It was real hard on them, real hard her parents," he said. "We're just waiting for some answers."

Summer Heffner, 18, is one of Catterson's older sisters. She last saw her sister a week before her death, not long after Catterton got out of prison.

She said the whole family is suffering.

"It's heartbreaking. They don't know how they killed her. They don't know what happened to her," she said.

Gaston County police are working closely with York County sheriff's investigators on both cases. At the same time, Eyewitness News has learned that police are stopping people on the streets across Gaston County, warning them -- especially women -- to be careful when they're out.

Capt. Joe Ramey of the Gaston County Police Department said the community is on high alert because of the two unsolved slayings.

"We're trying to stop them and inform them to be mindful of where they're at, be cautious of where they're going and who they're getting in vehicles with," he said.

Police also said women should let someone know if they go out, who they're with and when they're coming back.

“It's all about public safety," Ramey said.

He expects officers to continue approaching people on the streets and talking to them about safety throughout the weekend.

Eyewitness News asked deputies Friday if they've discovered any solid link between the Catterton and Saldana homicides, other than the fact that the two women knew each other.

They would not comment on the investigation, any evidence or any search warrants that have been served.

York County Coroner Sabrina Gast also told Eyewitness News she could not release any further information about the autopsies on the two women because the investigation is ongoing.

Previous Stories: November 18, 2009: Victims Of Two Mysterious Deaths Apparently Knew Each Other November 18, 2009: Body Found In York County Park Identified November 16, 2009: Body Found Burned In York County Park November 2, 2009: Body Found In York County Identified As Gastonia Teen October 30, 2009: New Evidence Released In Woman's Mysterious Death October 29, 2009: Woman's Body Found In York County