BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A Burke County family is waiting for answers after a survey crew found skeletal remains down a ravine off Highway 321 in Tennessee.
Earlier this year, police said kidnappers demanded ransom from Lamar Edmondson’s family in Burke County before beating him to death and dumping his body.
Six people were charged, but the body was not found.
Lanisha Kincaid showed Channel 9 one of the shirts she wears with a picture of her son, Lamar Edmondson, on it.
Past coverage
- Suspects face judge in Burke County kidnapping, murder case
- Sixth arrest made in Burke County kidnapping case; vigil set for victim
- Burke County man missing after ransom demand; second arrest made
- Officials: Cellphone video show kidnappers beating missing man
- 3 accused in Burke Co. kidnapping face murder charges; no body found
The photo was taken the day he disappeared in January.
Over an eight-hour period, Kincaid and her family received seven phone calls demanding hundreds of dollars for his safe return.
“They were calm and it scared me,” Kincaid said. “That’s the part that scared me the most, was how calm they were, and it was terrifying, like something reaching in your soul.”
Investigators believe the kidnapping was over money Edmondson was given to buy drugs.
Deputies in Tennessee, along with investigators from North Carolina, learned his kidnappers recorded cellphone video of him being severely beaten during the ordeal leading to several arrests.
“I hope whoever’s body they found, that they do find who it is, so they can tell the family,” Kincaid said.
Residents near where the skeletal remains were found hope the Burke County family gets answers.
For Kincaid, not knowing where her son ended up, has been an emotional roller coaster for her and her family.
“I’m here, but I don’t have my son,” Kincaid said.
Investigators said there are several missing person cases in this area and that more tests need to be done to determine the identity of the body found.
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