Erica Parsons To Be Buried Saturday
More than five years after she was slain, the remains of Erica Parsons, a North Carolina girl who had been tortured before her death, were released as police wrapped up their investigation.
Erica was reported missing July 30, 2013, by her adoptive brother, James, who said at the time she had not been seen for nearly two years. James Parsons went to authorities after an argument with his parents.
Erica’s body was released by the Rowan Medical Examiner Tuesday, and her funeral was scheduled for Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Salisbury, one day after what would have been her 19th birthday.
No one has been charged in the killing, and investigators have not released the cause of death.
The girl’s adoptive father, Sandy Parsons, admitted to investigators he had buried the girl in a shallow grave in South Carolina. He and his wife, Casey, were convicted of fraud for cashing Erica’s child support checks long after she had vanished from their home near Salisbury.
The Parsons adopted Erica as an infant and received government checks because she was hearing impaired and suffered a learning disability. Her biological mother had been married to Sandy Parson’s brother.
The Charlotte Observer reported Sandy Parsons told investigators he buried the girl Dec. 19, 2011, and led them to the site in October. The remains were found in Chesterfield County, near the home of his mother.
Family members told investigators the girl had been abused, allegedly locked in a closet, forced to eat dog food, beaten with a belt buckle and choked.
"I want to see them charged and not only charged, I want to see them put away and me know that they will never be able to walk the streets again,” Tammy Gray, Erica’s adoptive aunt, told WSOC, Charlotte.
“This case has been very difficult for this community. It’s been three years of learning Erica’s story, what happened to her and ultimately the end that we all hoped we wouldn’t have to find," Lissa Pence of Prevent Child Abuse Rowan told WBTV, Charlotte. “We don’t want any more Erica stories in any community.”
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