Editorial: Seven years later

It would have been easy for Iredell County sheriff’s investigators to have put the unsolved murder of Celeste Fowler in the back of a filing cabinet in a dark closet and devote their time and efforts to more recent, high-profile cases.

More than seven years have passed since Fowler’s body was found on March 16, 2001, off Brickyard Road in Iredell County. She didn’t have any relatives in this area and there was no pressure from the media or anyone else to solve this case.

The 29-year-old victim’s relatives in Connecticut called the R&L periodically over the years in an effort to keep the case in the public eye, hoping that a story near the anniversary date would cause someone to come forward with information.

News that investigators made an arrest in the case stunned Fowler’s family and surprised those of us who keep track of unsolved murders in Iredell. We hope it provides some sense of peace to Fowler’s four children and her mother.

And while prosecutors and law enforcement still must prove that Thilbert Wayne Hager, 37, murdered her, his arrest should give pause to others who would commit violent crimes in Iredell County. Iredell is home to dozens of crimefighters in several jurisdictions who take their jobs seriously and their oaths to heart. This case, like many others, shows their tireless dedication to the pursuit of justice.