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Police seek more leads three years after UNC student's beating death

As the third anniversary of the death of a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student approaches, police on Friday renewed their plea for assistance to crack the case.

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — As the third anniversary of the death of a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student approaches, police on Friday renewed their plea for assistance to crack the case.

Faith Danielle Hedgepeth, 19, was found dead in her off-campus apartment on Sept. 7, 2012, by her roommate. An autopsy determined that she died from a severe beating to her head.

"While we received numerous calls and emails about the case, we are still seeking additional information related to the murder," Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said in a statement.

Hedgepeth's death remains an active investigation for the department, Blue said, with investigators manning a tip line around the clock. State Bureau of Investigation agents also are working the case, he said.

Last year, police released a slew of details about their investigation in hopes of generating leads.

"Here we are three years later and we still don't know the answers," said Hedgepeth's sister, Rolanda. "One little piece of information could break the case, could give us some type of peace."

Just hours before her death, Hedgepeth and her roommate had been at The Thrill, a Chapel Hill nightclub. They returned home shortly before 3 a.m., but the roommate left the apartment again around 4:30 a.m.

When the roommate returned about seven hours later, Hedgepeth was dead in her bedroom with a handwritten note on the bed that appeared to read, "I'm Not Stupid (expletive) Jealous."

Police investigated several men who knew her, including her roommate's ex-boyfriend and a man she was seen with outside The Thrill when she left. Police also collected hundreds of DNA samples but weren't able to match any of them to evidence found in the apartment.

"Continued advances in DNA technology, some of which have occurred since Faith’s murder, have resulted in additional avenues of investigation which may provide vital information toward bringing Faith’s killer to justice," Blue said.

UNC-Chapel Hill students also have tried to keep the investigation alive and generate leads for police, launching the #JusticeForFaith social media campaign last year.

Police said more than $40,000 in reward money is available to someone who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Hedgepeth’s family will be holding a fundraiser Sept. 19, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Doe Spun Building in Hollister, N.C. to raise money for the scholarship named in her honor, the “Faith’s Smile Scholarship.”

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 919-614-6363 or Crime Stoppers at 919-942-7515.

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