3 months later, search for Ira’s killer continues

The Gaston Gazette ^ | August 5,2008 | Daniel Jackson

[murdoog]

An agent with the State Bureau of Investigation recently told the Yarmolenko family that evidence in the unsolved murder of Irina "Ira" Yarmolenko isn't sitting on a shelf.

The slain UNC Charlotte student was found dead on the banks of the Catawba River in Mount Holly on May 5.

After three months, Pavel Yarmolenko said the conversation with the SBI was somewhat comforting to his grieving family. But he said they don't know if the state has found forensic evidence or DNA that might lead police to a killer.

"They are working actively on DNA analysis," Pavel Yarmolenko said. "That's something we haven't heard before. They have been working on it ... I have no idea if they've gotten positive results or not."

Waiting for lab results from the state has been frustrating, Yarmolenko said. And reaching Mount Holly detectives was difficult, while they were relocating their offices to the new city administration building last month.

Now that the move is complete, Pavel Yarmolenko said he's been talking to Mount Holly Police daily, and they appear to be working steadily on the case.

"They still have officers working the case," said Mount Holly spokeswoman Leslie Shiel. "They're pressing forward, continuing to follow leads and waiting for results from the SBI."

Pavel Yarmolenko said he is aware that police are not sharing every detail of the investigation with family. That doesn't worry the family, he said, but they do want to know that investigators are making progress.

"The big news for us is things are moving along," he said. "We're still of the mindset that this thing is going to get solved ... At this point, we're bugging them constantly about it."

In the meantime, Pavel Yarmolenko recently organized a self-defense course for women in the Chapel Hill area and he is planning a similar event in Charlotte. The older brother is constantly working to draw attention to and shed light on the case, through the media and on the Internet.

He has made several trips to Charlotte and Mount Holly since his sister's murder to hang flyers and to look for information. People in Mount Holly need to be cautious because his sister's killer is still out there, he said.

"There is a sense of outrage in the Mount Holly area in general that this case remains unsolved," Pavel Yarmolenko said. "Other than vigilance, there is very little the community as a whole can do."

Anyone with information that could be helpful to detectives should call the Mount Holly Police Department 704-827-4343, UNC Charlotte Police at 704-687-2200, or Gaston County Crime Stoppers at 704-861-8000.