NC NC- Denise “Dee Dee” Dawkins,13, wearing only bra & 1 tennis shoe, partially buried to her chest w. logs, the Henry Fork River, 28/7/92, *RE-OPENED*.

[dotr]

By Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com July 23, 2024

Police in Catawba County reopen 13-year-old girl’s 1992 murder case

Family members are now offering a reward after the teenager was found dead along the banks of the Henry Fork River in 1992.

www.wsoctv.com

''This month marks 32 years since Dee Dee disappeared in the Hickory area. Weeks after she vanished, someone made a gruesome discovery: Police said she was only wearing a bra and a single tennis shoe when her body was found along the Henry Fork River.
Faherty learned the 13-year-old was partially buried up to her chest by logs and debris along the river.''

Family members said several law enforcement agencies have been involved in the investigation. Now, the Brookford Police Department has reopened the case.''

''The chief said he put together a team of investigators to go over every aspect of the unsolved case. He said now, more than 30 years later, they’ve developed possible suspects.

“We feel that there are folks who know things in the community that don’t want to talk, partly based off of fear,” Armstrong said.''

Jul 24, 2024
Police in Catawba County have reopened a more than 30-year-old cold case murder involving a 13-year-old girl.

 

[dotr]

Police in Catawba County reopen 13-year-old girl’s 1992 murder case

Police in Catawba County have reopened a more than 30-year-old cold case murder involving a 13-year-old girl.

www.yahoo.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“That ain’t right. Trying to get me to say something I’m not supposed to say,” said William Crooks, who maintains his innocence in the case. “Trying to get me to say something I’m not guilty of. That ain’t right.”

Crooks said he had nothing to do with the 13-year-old’s murder and police never took him up on his offer to take a lie detector test.

Police chief’s cellphone left at home during interview reopens 1992 murder case, warrant says

“That ain’t right. Trying to get me to say something I’m not supposed to say.”

www.wsoctv.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

WSOC-TV said court documents said that Armstrong is accused of interviewing a man in his home and then leaving his cell phone behind, still recording, when he left. The station said the search warrant said that Armstrong returned to the home after 10 minutes to retrieve the phone.

William Crooks told the station that Armstrong questioned him in his home for about half an hour last fall about the unsolved murder of 13-year-old Dee Dee Dawkins in 1992.

‘On Patrol: Live’ star under investigation for recording man

Meanwhile, he claims he fears for his safety.

www.pennlive.com

 

[dotr]

April 22, 2025

Police chief at center of cold case says accusations over evidence are ‘politically motivated’

“It’s disgusting what I’m witnessing happening," the police chief said.

www.wsoctv.com

''The State Bureau of Investigations is looking into the Brookford Police Department’s handling of a 1992 cold case, but police chief Willie Armstrong is pushing back.

“I have never witnessed a politically motivated agenda like I am now. Because I’m running for sheriff they leveraged this poor little girl’s case against me and this family who all they wanted is justice,” Armstrong said on social media.''

 

[HopeRains]

There is an hour plus press release from the Chief, Brookford PD that was today (8 hrs ago) that includes files and also public commentary, most of which is in support of the Chief and his efforts to solve the case. General consensus is he is getting too close to the investigation (or lack thereof), players in the community who were involved directly or indirectly, etc.

 

[dotr]

Brookford police chief says misconduct investigation is political; DA, sheriff's office respond

The Brookford Police Department has been asked to turn the investigation into the 1992 death of Dee Dee Dawkins over to state and sheriff's office investigators.

hickoryrecord.com

Catawba County NC police chief: investigation is political​

2 hours ago — Crooks was interviewed in relation to the 1992 death of 13-year-old Isis Denise “Dee Dee” Dawkins. No one has been charged in her death.''

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Willie Armstrong gained national recognition through On Patrol Live before facing indictment in a shocking twist tied to a 1992 Brookford homicide.
Despite the legal storm, he has vowed to continue his campaign and maintain his innocence.

This marks one of the most dramatic off-camera developments for a law enforcement official connected to On Patrol Live. The show, which gives viewers a front-row seat into police work, now finds one of its stars at the center of a real-life criminal case

On Patrol Live: Chief Willie Armstrong INDICTED In 1992 Case

Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong, featured on On Patrol Live, indicted in 1992 cold case for mishandling evidence in teen’s murder.

thencbeat.com

 

[dotr]

By Dave Faherty, September 24, 2025

Police chief seeks to have charges dismissed against him in cold case

The charges stem from an interview Chief Armstrong did in connection with the killing and rape of Dawkins in 1992.

www.wsoctv.com

''BROOKFORD, N.C. — Attorneys for Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong have filed a motion to dismiss charges against him, stemming from a 1992 murder investigation tied to the death of 13-year-old Dee Dee Dawkins. Armstrong, who was briefly suspended and later reinstated, admitted to leaving his cellphone in a witness’s home but argued the recording was unintentional.
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/b...nce-1992-cold-cas/BFTVSBGFOVEPZABNLP7MTARCZE/
Earlier this year, he also announced plans to run for sheriff in Catawba County.
Armstrong believes this is all “politically motivated agenda.”
“Because I said I’m running for sheriff, they leveraged this poor little girls case against me,” Armstrong said referring to the case.''

 

[HopeRains]

Article clipped from The Charlotte Observer

Clipping found in The Charlotte Observer published in Charlotte, North Carolina on 5/5/1993.

www.newspapers.com

 

[dotr]

December 30, 2025

Critical evidence missing in 1992 cold case of 13-year-old girl

New details have emerged in the cold case of 13-year-old Dee Dee Dawkins, who was found dead in 1992.

www.wsoctv.com

''According to court documents, Armstrong is accused of deleting a recording from a phone which was pertinent to the investigation. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges and the case against him will go to trial in the new year.

The trial regarding the charges against Armstrong is expected to take place in early 2026.''

 

[dotr]

Jan. 18, 2026, By Sarah Dahlberg. Very lengthy article with pics.

A family’s 33-year fight for justice in the unsolved homicide of North Carolina teen Dee Dee Dawkins

The 13-year-old’s body was found in a river in Brookford on July 28, 1992, nearly a month after she was last seen.

www.nbcnews.com

“How does this happen to a kid?” It’s the question the family of Dee Dee Dawkins has been asking since the 13-year-old’s body was found on July 28, 1992, in Brookford, North Carolina.

And despite the case being more than 33 years old, it’s still fresh for Dee Dee’s family in Hickory, the Brookford community, and some of those who have investigated her homicide over the past three decades.''

'Kessiah described Dee Dee as very athletic. “She played every sport that was available for her to play, and she excelled at that,” she said. “She was just a very energetic, electric-type person.”

''While the family is hoping for justice, they also just want to keep Dee Dee’s name alive.“She had a passion for life,” cousin Kessiah said. “She loved life. Like, she loved living her life.”

At only 13, Dee Dee didn’t really get to do that.

So Kessiah and Stephanie have a mission. “Let people know who she was and that she existed and that she mattered and she was loved and missed,” Stephanie said.

If you have information about Dee Dee’s case, please contact the Brookford Police Department at 828-358-2025, or the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 800-334-3000, or the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-465-8340, or Kessiah and Stephanie Young’s tipline at 828-383-4063. You can also reach out to [email protected].''