GREENSBORO, N.C. -- More than a year has passed since the murder of High Point teenager Dorien Jackson, yet Greensboro police still do not know who killed him and dumped his body in Lake Townsend.
"One of the big things is the time gap between the time he went missing and the time he was recovered. A lot of evidence related to the cause of the homicide wouldn't appear, could change or couldn't be found or located," explained lead case detective Brian Pilcher with the Greensboro Police Department.
Jackson walked out of his home the night of January 10, 2013, after his mother said he took a call from a friend up the street and left the neighborhood on bike.
"At first, I thought he was trying to sneak out and thought we didn't know he was gone... After a while, I checked to see where he was at, but the back door was unlocked. And he never came back in the door," said the teenager's mother Betty Jackson.
Nearly two months later on March 3, two boaters found Dorien's body in Lake Townsend--23 miles from his home on Tangle Lane in High Point. The medical examiner ruled he died of a single gunshot wound to the back of his neck.
"Exactly where he went to and who he came into contact with that night is the mystery of the case right now," said Pilcher. "There hasn't been a lot of talk about it, or we haven't received much information or tips about it," Pilcher said.
Betty Jackson said her son was a likable person with a lot of friends, some of whom she said she did not particularly care for. But, she said she never noticed anything out of the ordinary, and her son's behavior was not unusual in the week leading up to the night he left home and never returned.
"If anybody out there knows anything or heard anything about the accident, I ask them to come forward. I know if they have a conscious, they have to, and we praying hard that this will happen. And I believe it will--the same way we was praying for him to be found, she said.
Pilcher said he has not left "any lead unturned" but could not disclose specifically whom he had interviewed thus far in the investigation.
"We are still meeting people who knew Dorien--people his immediate family didn't even know he was associated with. Each time I talk to someone like that, I learn a little more about Dorien, and that helps me to work toward what may have happened to him that night and led to his demise," Pilcher said.
Pilcher said Dorien Jackson's bike is the piece of physical evidence that has yet to be fully assessed. The bike is at the State Bureau of Investigations lab for analysis, and police are awaiting the results.
Despite minimal other evidence, Pilcher said, "We are always confident we are going to be able to close a case eventually. One phone call can take a case that has kind of slowed down and open it wide open."
He added, "Each homicide has at least two victims--the family member that's left behind suffers terribly for it. If we can give them closure and find the answers and arrest the suspect and prosecute them in court, that's our ultimate desire to do that."
Pilcher said he encourages individuals to contact police, if they know any information about Dorien Jackson. "Any information could be helpful. Even the smallest piece you think is insignificant could be very significant when I apply it to the rest of the investigation," he said.
The reward for information leading to an arrest is now $7,000(*corrected from $8,000, due to a modified information from Greensboro Police Department) combined of the Crime Stoppers and Governor Pat McCrory's offerings. Crime Stoppers offers up to $2,000 for an arrest or indictment, and the Governor's office offers up to $5,000 for an arrest and conviction. Call Greensboro police or the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at 336-373-1000. The Crime Stoppers text number is BADBOYZ (274-634).
WATCH THE WFMY NEWS 2 GOOD MORNING SHOW WEDNESDAY TO SEE THE CASE UPDATE.
