Anastasia Talisha Meaders, a 29-year-old African American woman, was reported missing in 2016. Her skeletal remains were discovered on January 15, 2019, in a wooded area near a water tower off Bridgewater Lane in Mooresville, North Carolina. The remains were identified through DNA analysis conducted by the University of Northern Texas Center for Human Identification.
The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into Anastasia's death revealed that she had last been seen alive in June 2016. Her black 2007 Chevrolet Impala was found abandoned at Liberty Park, a few miles from where her remains were discovered. The case, initially a missing person investigation, was reclassified as a homicide following the identification of her remains.
Timothy Lavaun Crumitie, a 54-year-old former pastor, was charged with Anastasia's murder. Crumitie was already serving a life sentence for the attempted murder of Anastasia's mother, Kimberly Cherry, and the murder of Cherry's boyfriend, Michael Gretsinger, in August 2016. Crumitie had a history of criminal activities, including armed robbery, insurance fraud, and other suspicious deaths. He was the last person seen with Anastasia before her disappearance.
The investigation into Anastasia's death involved multiple law enforcement agencies, forensic experts, and academic institutions. The identification of her remains and the subsequent arrest of Crumitie brought some closure to her family, who had been searching for answers since her disappearance.
