WHITEVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) – The search for a personal trainer’s killer was still on, a week after the woman was fatally injured inside her business in eastern North Carolina.
Police were called to Stronger Body Fitness on North Thompson Street in Whiteville, around 5:30 a.m. on March 11.
Once there, officers found the trainer — Cynthia Hansen — before she was taken to Columbus Regional Healthcare. Whiteville police said Hansen died at the hospital.
According to the 71-year-old’s obituary, Hansen was a teacher for more than 30 years prior to personal training.
“Since the moment this incident was reported, our officers, detectives and command staff have been working around the clock — day and night — without pause, to uncover the truth and to bring justice to this case,” Whiteville Police Chief Paul Rockenbach said in a March 18 news conference.
Despite the efforts of the Whiteville Police Department and local, state and federal partners, no arrests had been made as of March 18, and no suspect names were publicly released.
During the news conference, Rockenbach continued to urge the community to share any information or potentially relevant footage that could help investigators. Police were particularly looking for video from the night of March 10, into early March 11.
“Something as small as a shadow, a passing figure, a vehicle driving by at unusual times — all of those details matter,” the chief said. “Those are the details that solve cases.”
Rockenbach said his department was thoroughly investigating every tip and piece of information, and that from what had been gathered, he did not perceive any lingering threat to the public.
The chief said surveillance footage showed the suspect ran down North Thompson Street after the alleged murder before they vanished into the darkness. He did not say if Stronger Body Fitness had working cameras.
In his March 18 news conference, Rockenbach seemed confident that the alleged killer would be caught.
“Whoever is responsible for this act, hear this clearly: you cannot hide from this,” he said. “We are coming with every lead, every piece of evidence, every partnership, we are closing in.”
Police have not said exactly how Hansen was killed, nor could they confirm how, or if, she was connected to the suspect.
The chief said a $2,000 reward was being offered for information that leads to arrest.
Information can be shared with both the Whiteville Police Department and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
Whiteville is toward the North Carolina coast, about an hour inland from Wilmington.
A woman was fatally injured inside Stronger Body Fitness in Whiteville, N.C. on March 11.(WECT)
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