Family, Strangers Gather For Birthday Of Erica Parsons

Rowan County, NC — Sunday would have been Erica Parsons’ 21st birthday.

Her disappearance made national headlines as witnesses described a life of torture before her murder.

Deputies believe she was 13-years-old when she vanished in 2011.

It’s a mystery still unraveling, Erica’s biological mother, Carolyn Parsons, said at her grave site Sunday.

“As I’ve said before, Casey and Sandy Parsons are not physically, mentally or emotionally capable of telling the 100 percent truth,” said Carolyn Parsons.

People who didn’t know the little girl searched for her for months. They showed up at the grave site in Rowan County as well.

“As long as we’re breathing, Erica is never going to be forgotten again,” said Wanda Rogers.

They call today “Erica Parsons Day” for her birthday.

They’ve named highways after her and held yearly vigils.

“Erica became everybody’s angel, everybody’s story, everybody’s reason for taking another look, taking another listen. It’s what abuse is about,” said Carolyn Parsons.

Erica’s relatives, Casey and Sandy Parsons, adopted the little girl, but prosecutors say they gave her a life of torture.

Her adopted brother, James, told a judge in a 2015 fraud trail the parents encouraged all the kids to beat Erica.

To read more on that 2015 court date, click here.

They punched her on the top of the head so much she had a bald spot, he told a court in 2015.

He admitted to breaking her arm, he says his mother bent Erica’s fingers backwards until they broke, locked her in a closet and forced her to eat dog food.

James reported her missing in 2013, two years after he says she actually disappeared.

Deputies say Sandy and Casey tried to cover it up, claiming she went to live with a relative in Asheville. They later determined that relative didn’t exist.

A judge sentenced the adoptive parents to federal prison in 2015 for collecting government money after Erica was gone.

Deputies say Sandy, the adoptive father, eventually led investigators to Erica’s dismembered body in 2016. He says they buried her in December of 2011.

Erica’s autopsy showed 19 broken bones, many with multiple breaks, inflicted over a long period of time. The medical examiner report noted the last time siblings saw Erica, she looked “grey” “smelling bad with open, oozing cuts” and couldn’t breath.

To read the report on the autopsy results, click here.

“If you think somebody’s being abused whether it’s an adult, whether it’s a child. You don’t make one phone call. You don’t make two phone calls. You call until you get results,” said Carolyn Parsons.

Monday will mark three years since the day Erica received a proper burial.

The adoptive mother, Casey, will stand trial in April of 2020.