North Carolina Stepmother Charged with Murder of Teen Missing Since 2015

Connie Graham, 65, was arrested Thursday for the murder of her stepdaughter Sara Graham, who vanished in February 2015. Her two sons face charges of conspiracy and evidence destruction.

North Carolina Stepmother Arrested for Murder of Teen Who Vanished in 2015

A 65-year-old North Carolina woman has been charged with the murder of her teenage stepdaughter, more than a decade after the girl disappeared on her way to a Walmart shift, Law & Crime reports.

Connie Graham was taken into custody Thursday in connection with the death of 18-year-old Sara Graham, who was last seen alive on Feb. 4, 2015. Sara Graham left the family home in Fairmont, North Carolina, at approximately 6:30 a.m. in a white van bound for her job at Walmart. She never arrived, and the van was later found abandoned in a field. She was officially declared dead on June 1; her body has never been recovered.

Two of Connie Graham's sons were also arrested in connection with the case. Bobby Matthew McLellan, 42, and Luke Locklear, 29, face charges of conspiracy and altering or destroying evidence. McLellan faces an additional charge of accessory after the fact. According to arrest warrants, McLellan allegedly helped dispose of human remains, while Locklear allegedly "assist[ed] in burning evidence."

At the time of Sara Graham's disappearance, Connie Graham was employed as a deputy with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. She was fired following the teenager's disappearance. Sara Graham's father, Hubert Graham, is a former deputy who now serves as chief of the Rowland Police Department. In the days after his daughter was legally declared dead — at the request of her biological mother — Hubert Graham told ABC affiliate WPDE that he believed Sara was still alive. Under North Carolina law, a person may be declared legally dead after seven years without contact.

The Robeson County Sheriff's Office and the FBI jointly reopened the investigation in 2023, conducting a new search of Connie Graham's home following fresh leads, WRAL reported. Officials have not disclosed what specific evidence led to the three arrests.

Connie Graham appeared in court Thursday and is being held without bond at the Robeson County Detention Center. McLellan and Locklear are each held on $1 million bond. All three defendants are scheduled to appear in court again on July 2.

The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Sara Graham's remains.

Source: Law & Crime