Cold Case Files: This Month Marks 46 Years Since Sylvia Newman Disappeared In North Charlotte, Was Later Found Dead

CHARLOTTE, NC.– This month marks 46 years since a woman disappeared in North Charlotte. Sylvia Newman Gregory was later found dead.

Police have never made an arrest, and the victim’s family is pleading for anyone who knows anything to come forward.

For Lisa Newman, the scene where her sister disappeared from is frozen in time.

“I remember the pine needles very clearly, from then, even though I haven’t been back here since,” says Lisa.

Every little detail burned into her memory, from the day her sister, Sylvia Newman Gregory, disappeared, 46 years ago.

CMPD Cold Case Detectives say Sylvia disappeared from a trailer she lived in with her new husband off Mallard Creek Road in April 1972. Sylvia’s husband was a college student. Detectives say he got home from a function around 11:30 that night, and his wife was gone. Lisa learned the horrible news from her parents.

“Saying where’s mom and dad going? Because they were getting dressed in a hurry and they were leaving and they said Sylvia is missing,” says Lisa.

“About a year and a half later they found her remains in South Carolina right near Fort Mill,” says Detective in CMPD Homicide Cold Case Unit Ed Williams.

Investigators used dental records to confirm the remains were Sylvia’s. She died from a gunshot wound, a bullet hole was found in her skull. Missing evidence is making this case even more challenging.

“A lot of the evidence is just, we can’t find a lot of the evidence to be quite honest with you.”

That evidence disappeared when the Mecklenburg County Police Department consolidated with the Charlotte Police Department. Detectives got a call about the case a few months ago, and are interviewing people, trying to get new leads.

If you have any information about Sylvia Newman Gregory’s murder, call Homicide Cold Case hotline: (704) 336-2358