Remains of missing woman found

Autopsy confirms link to Sarah Ashley Hill

The discovery of human remains in northwestern Stokes County has solved a mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a woman who went missing from Surry more than four years ago, Sarah Ashley Hill.

This breakthrough in the cold case unfolded earlier this week after the Surry County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Stokes Sheriff's Office and State Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant for property at 1791 Asbury Road in Westfield.

The search was initiated to obtain information, evidence and any other leads related to the missing-person investigation centered on Hill, who disappeared from the same general area in June 2018.

Detectives brought in specialized personnel to deploy heavy equipment in moving dirt and terrain and stabilizing an existing structure.

Search efforts led to the human remains being found beneath the floor of a pre-existing structure, rather than in the yard as previously reported.

The remains were sent to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

An autopsy was performed Thursday which confirmed that the remains were those of Hill, Surry County Sheriff Steve Hiatt and Joey Lemons, the Stokes sheriff, jointly announced Friday. Officials notified relatives of the victim about that development Thursday.

Sheriffs Lemons and Hiatt indicated that their respective law enforcement families are keeping Ms. Hill's family in their thoughts and prayers.

Authorities in Patrick County, Virginia, also have been heavily involved in the investigation from the onset due to the missing woman having an address there and officially being reported missing from that jurisdiction.

Patrick Sheriff Dan Smith reacted to the latest development Thursday.

"This is a sad outcome, our prayers are with Sara's (Sarah's) family, and my office stands ready to assist North Carolina authorities in any way we can," Smith stated.

The Patrick County Sheriff's Office requested assistance from Surry County authorities as the investigation progressed.

Family declines comment

An attempt to reach a sister of the missing woman, April Hill Cain, for any comment she or other family members might have in light of the discovery led to this email from her Thursday:

"We the family do not have any comments at present," Cain wrote. "Please allow us privacy at this time."

Hill, 33, who in addition to maintaining an address in Patrick County also was known to stay with friends in North Carolina, had not been heard from since June 6, 2018.

Early that morning, Hill used her cell phone to call her older sister, Cain, a registered nurse at Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin, saying she was on Blue Hollow Road near Mount Airy and needed a ride.

Cain could not respond right away due to being needed at the hospital, and was unable to reach Sarah Hill after her shift ended. There was no sign of her during the intervening years.

Hill's disappearance sparked a poster-distribution campaign with her photograph and details of the case widely disseminated in an effort to solicit information from the general public as to her whereabouts.

The missing woman's sibling has said that in retracing her last known steps, one place Sarah Ashley Hill was possibly believed to be was a location in nearby Stokes County where the latter had been "hanging out with a guy."

This person of interest acted suspiciously, including refusing access to his home, according to Cain, who added that she had heard the man previously was charged with rape.

Social media postings this week, apparently by residents of the area, indicated that the property in question was searched in 2018 in connection with Hill's disappearance, and the man who lived there was a registered sex offender.

In January 2019, it was reported that law enforcement officers from multiple agencies had conducted a day-long search centered on three different sites on King Park Circle just outside Mount Airy. This is just off Blue Hollow Road, where Cain's last contact with Hill originated.

The Surry Sheriff's Office issued a statement on July 22, 2020 that it, in conjunction with the State Bureau of Investigation and the Patrick County Sheriff's Office, again had converged on King Park Circle regarding a follow-up investigation on the missing person.

Yet nothing transpired from that.

The continued investigation led detectives to the property located in Stokes County, where she had been seen.

Information sought

Now that the remains of Sarah Ashley Hill have been located, the investigation of her death continues, with no word on any charges against the man who lived at the Stokes location or anyone else.

"The investigation is ongoing at this time," Friday's joint announcement from the two sheriffs stated.

"Little to no additional information will be released to protect the integrity of the investigation," it adds.

Anyone having any information regarding the death of Ms. Hill is "strongly encouraged" by officials to contact the Stokes County Sheriff's Office and/or the Surry County Sheriff's Office.

Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.