Heather Carter, a 28-year-old white female from Fayetteville, North Carolina, went missing on July 12, 2017. Her disappearance followed an early morning shootout near the Zip-N-Mart at 2413 Hope Mills Road. Heather had left home with her 29-year-old friend, Ashley Davila, to meet her former husband, Jimmy Lee Proffitt II. When they arrived at the convenience store, Proffitt opened fire on them. Davila, who was sitting in a vehicle, was struck by a bullet in the wrist but managed to drive away.
Heather, however, was unable to reach the vehicle and was never seen again. Her blood and a single flip-flop were among the items recovered from the scene.
Jimmy Lee Proffitt II, who had a long history of domestic violence with Heather, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in October 2017. Despite the charges, Heather's body was never found, making the case against Proffitt challenging. The prosecution faced difficulties due to the lack of a body and the absence of an eyewitness, as Davila had died in Greensboro recently. With no body and no eyewitness, the state's ability to secure a conviction was uncertain.
In March 2021, Proffitt reached a plea agreement with the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office. As part of the deal, he agreed to show detectives where Heather's remains were buried in a wooded area along Davis Bridge Road in Robeson County. On March 19, 2021, Heather's remains were recovered, and five days later, they were positively identified. Proffitt pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, possession of a firearm by a felon, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He was sentenced to 10-13 years in prison, receiving credit for the nearly four years he had already served in custody awaiting trial.
The discovery of Heather's remains brought some measure of peace to her family, who had been convinced of Proffitt's guilt based on the evidence. The plea agreement allowed the family to find Heather's body and provided a sense of closure. The Fayetteville Police Department, along with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office and the Robeson County Medical Examiner, played crucial roles in the investigation and recovery of Heather's remains.
