LA GRANGE, North Carolina — Timeka Pridgen was 16 years old when she disappeared from her North Carolina home 23 years ago. On the anniversary of her disappearance Monday, the sheriff has named a suspect in the cold case of her disappearance.
“While we firmly believe Eric Earl Mercer Moore is the person responsible for Timeka’s disappearance, we continue to search for Timeka,” Jackie Rogers, the sheriff of Lenoir County, North Carolina, said Monday.
Moore was the boyfriend of Pridgen's mother, Cosandra Best, at the time of the teenager's disappearance, according to investigators.
Moore died last October of an illness, according to the sheriff's office. As recently as the weeks before his death, investigators from the sheriff's office said he continued to deny any involvement in the girl's disappearance.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, Rogers' office outlines why they think Moore was responsible for the girl's disappearance.
Among their reasons, Moore and the girl's mother gave conflicting accounts about Moore's whereabouts that evening. While Best said she was expecting Moore at their home that night, Moore denies ever being there. However, both Best and Best's mother claimed to have heard his car outside the home that evening. Investigators also determined Moore's cell phone was connected to a nearby cell phone tower.
Investigators interviewed two women who were with Moore the next morning. The women, who were visiting from Charlotte, claimed Moore spoke about Pridgen's disappearance. However, Best claimed to investigators she did not inform Moore of the girl's disappearance until later.
The day after Pridgen's disappearance, Moore's own mother noticed Moore had his car thoroughly cleaned. It was an abnormality she later noted to investigators.
Pridgen has never been located. The Lenior County Sheriff's Office continues to ask for any information related to the case. Tips can be submitted online or by calling 252-559-6100.