ALBEMARLE, N.C. — The search for Baylee Carver, a 17-year-old Albemarle teenager ended on Tuesday when she was found dead, police said.
Searchers found the remains of Carver on Tuesday around 4:55 p.m. north of Highway 49 and Route 601 in Cabarrus County. The teenager's boyfriend, Joshua Biles, 20, has already been charged with felony obstruction of justice and concealment of death.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of Baylee Carver. As they mourn their loss, our hearts are with them during this difficult time," Albemarle Police Chief Jason Bollhorst said in a statement. "The Albemarle Police Department is grateful for all of the assistance and resources provided throughout the course of this search. The investigation is still ongoing.”
The Albemarle Police Department said officers responded to the suspect's home along Floral Drive at 4:30 a.m. Friday after getting a 911 call from someone asking for help. The department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI) said their inquiry led them to determine the victim had died.
"At the scene, Joshua Biles reported that his girlfriend Baylee Carver was deceased and that he had disposed of the body using a red Honda Civic," Bollhorst said. "The vehicle was at the home. The Albemarle Police Department immediately secured the scene, including the vehicle, and requested that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation process all parts of the crime scene.”
According to court documents, investigators believe Biles moved Carver's body from his home. He is accused of hiding the body elsewhere. Investigators found evidence at the home that suggested Carver had "obvious wounds to the body indicating an unnatural death."
Biles has not admitted to killing Carver, police confirmed Tuesday.
"[Biles] spent some time with SBI investigators as well as our detectives," Bollhorst said. "There is some information that’s included in the investigation that provided us with detailed areas to search."
People who live near the suspect's home said he drove a red two-door Honda Civic with black wheels. WCNC Charlotte found that car parked outside Biles' Floral Drive home Monday. Biles' identification card could be seen on the seat.
A search party of community members also looked inside the car. After seeing what appeared to be blood inside, they called law enforcement who returned to the home and towed the vehicle away.
Bollhorst addressed the incident Tuesday.
"The SBI processed both home and vehicle on Friday. As standard procedures, the home and vehicle were turned back over to the owners of the property with the conclusion of that processing," Bollhorst said. "To avoid any confusion about whether the vehicle needed to be located, the Albemarle Police Department impounded the vehicle Monday evening.”
Albemarle police continue to ask neighbors to check their home security cameras for video of the car between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on Friday. They said the red Honda Civic is a 1999 model with the N.C. tag number "RHC 1776."
Melissa Curlee works at Derrick's Sales and Repairs in Stanly County.
She said police used surveillance video from their business to help pinpoint the suspect's location.
"About 4:14 a.m. you see him coming southbound going toward Albemarle in a red Honda Civic," Curlee said. "They just were really dead set on it being him."
Emily Lowery, who's been friends with Carver for years, said Carver was in a relationship with Biles. When WCNC Charlotte spoke to Lowery on Monday, she was hoping Carver was still alive.
"I didn’t want to think it was real," Lowery told WCNC Charlotte. "I don’t think anybody wanted to think that was real. She’s a very uplifting person. I’ve never heard her talk bad about anyone.”
More than 70 law enforcement professionals searched Cabarrus, Rowan, and Stanly counties for Carver's remains.
Albemarle Police, the NCSBI, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are among the agencies investigating.
“We’re covering a lot of ground," Lisa Briggs, with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said on Monday. "We’ve got a lot of volunteers. A lot of agencies."
Groups of people in the community also joined the search. Ashley Poplin, her family, and friends joined those searching around the Floral Drive house Monday.
"Personally, I didn’t know the family, but I do have daughters of my own and I know if it was me in their position, I would want anybody and everybody to be out helping look," Poplin said.
Another one of Carver's friends said the missing teenager loved making weekly trips to the local skating rink.
"Baylee was whimsical," the friend shared. "She always believed in the beauty of things and brought a smile to everyone she met. She had her own struggles and worked through them through the enjoyment of others. She was very soft-hearted and loved people very deeply. She had a connection with every animal she met and had an admirable obsession with cats and had multiple of her own."
Carver also loved crystals, vinyl records, stargazing, and the movie "The Labyrinth".
As the community looks to heal, they're leaning on faith and lifting the family in prayer.
"Pray that they get through it the best that they can," Susan Toncheff, an Albemarle resident who helped in the search, said. "Pray that they get through burying their daughter and then slowly, slowly start the process of moving on."
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Note: WCNC instituted a policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you're ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com.