In the early morning hours of April 6, 2004, a 24-year-old woman named Samatha Elizabeth Baremore vanished from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Known to her loved ones as 'Pinky' and by her stage name 'Sunshine,' Samatha was last seen leaving the Sugar Bares VIP club, where she worked as an exotic dancer. She departed the club in a Willard's Cab Company taxi, and what should have been a routine trip home became the start of a long and painful mystery for her family.
Concerns for her welfare grew when she failed to show up for work for several days. Her family, unable to make contact with her, officially reported her missing on April 8, 2004. The investigation into her disappearance would soon focus on her life at home and the final hours before she was last seen.
At the time of her disappearance, Samatha lived with her boyfriend, Cedrick Bobby Lemon, in an apartment off Silas Creek Parkway. Friends and family reported that the relationship was tense, and Samatha had expressed her intention to leave him. When her family went to the apartment she shared with Lemon, they discovered her bags had been packed. Lemon told investigators that he and Samatha had argued on the morning she went missing after he stated he did not intend to marry her. He claimed she left the apartment, saying she was going to buy a newspaper and look for a new place to live. He said she had left before and usually returned within a few days, so he wasn't initially worried. Investigators questioned Lemon, who reportedly provided a blood sample and passed a lie detector test.
The details surrounding Samatha's final known moments remain somewhat unclear. The manager of Sugar Bares, Bob Evans, recalled seeing her leave in a taxi and noted her stage name, 'Sunshine,' suited her because she was always smiling. Some of her coworkers reported seeing her arguing with an unidentified man in the parking lot before she left. However, a statement from the Winston-Salem Police Department indicated she was alone when she got into the cab. In the years since she vanished, her mother, Barbara Ashe, has expressed her heartbreaking belief that her daughter is no longer alive, though she holds out hope for the return of her remains. The case of Samatha Baremore is a poignant story of a young mother who disappeared, leaving behind a daughter and a family desperate for answers. The investigation into what happened to her in April 2004 remains an open, yet cold, case.Last Seen: Apr 6, 2004
