KITTY HAWK, N.C. (WAVY) – Nearly three months after the death of LeeAnn Fletcher, we now know the cause, but what really happened in her West Kitty Hawk Road home remains a mystery.
The medical examiner released the primary cause of death this week as complications from blunt force trauma to the head, but the manner of her death is yet undetermined.
Fletcher, 38, was the mother of a teenaged daughter and 6-year-old son.
“She had a personality like she was a social butterfly,” said Fletcher’s cousin Trisha Cahoon. “Everyone got along with her.”
“LeeAnn was kind-hearted and would help anybody,” said long-time friend Victoria Williams.
Fletcher was last heard from Monday, July 20, but the 911 call didn’t go out until two days later. Brian Lee, a private investigator familiar with the case, says Kitty Hawk police didn’t enter the home for two more days.
“The call came in on a Wednesday, and on Friday (police) finally went into the home,” Lee said.
Medics found Fletcher Wednesday in a bathtub, barely alive. She was taken to the hospital where she died three days later.
“The blood evidence in the home does not support a fall in the bathtub,” Lee said.
Lee says inside the home was a bloody pillow, sheet and comforter and that’s when local police botched the investigation. “Once they took those items there was an incredible failure of securing the scene.”
Contacted by 10 On Your Side, Kitty Hawk Police Chief Joel Johnson declined to respond to the criticism of his department, and wouldn’t comment on specifics of the case. Police do have a person of interest. He currently faces no charges whatsoever in the case.
10 On Your Side attempted to contact that person through social media, as well as a pastor who knows him, but have not heard back. We also reached out to the District Attorney’s Office Thursday and are awaiting a response.
When asked if Fletcher’s kind and generous nature might have played a factor in her death, Williams agreed, fighting back tears.
Chief Johnson said he “wants justice for LeeAnn just like everyone else,” and that those responsible for finding that justice are being extra careful in their investigation.
