Suspect Sketched in Cornwell Case

After four months of no leads in the missing persons case of Kristi Cornwell, the GBI held a 2 p.m. press conference on Monday, where they released a sketch of an individual involved in an incident in Ranger, North Carolina in early August. Ranger is 25 miles from the site where Cornwell disappeared. The similarities in the Ranger case and those of Cornwell’s Union County case are noticeable.
The incident in Ranger occurred around 9 p.m. on August 2, nine days before the disappearance of Cornwell, at approximately the same time that Cornwell went missing. In the Ranger incident, a woman was walking along a road toward the Ranger Community Center. A vehicle pulled up behind her and knocked her to the ground. A male, thought to be in his mid 20’s emerged from his vehicle and headed toward the woman. When another vehicle approached the area, the man got back in his SUV and left the scene. The North Carolina State Patrol was notified and interviewed the woman, but no report was filed.
The suspect was driving a silver, late model Nissan Xterra with tinted windows and a brush guard on the front. A description of a vehicle spotted in the area of Cornwell’s disappearance around 9 p.m. was described as white or silver (light colored) SUV. Due to the driver’s side window being down, the woman was able to give a detailed description of the man’s profile, which was sketched by GBI Forensic Artist Marla Lawson. He is described as a white male, in his mid twenties with dark hair.
Using the sketch and vehicle description, authorities conducted numerous neighborhood canvasses in Cherokee County, North Carolina, but were not successful in developing solid leads. Between 400 and 500 vehicles matching the suspect vehicle are registered in that area of North Carolina.
To date, GBI Agents have conducted more than 1,100 individual, documented investigative acts as part of this continuing investigation. This does not include the 11 days of active searching just after her disappearance in Union County. The search has included efforts from numerous local, state and federal agencies, along with volunteers and members of the Cornwell family. Six hundred and sixty four tips were called in to the tip line and investigated. The neighborhood canvassing involved conducting interviews at 450 houses in the area.
Cornwell’ family auctioned their lakefront home over this past weekend to raise additional money to continue the search. A $50K reward is still being offered in the case.
The GBI states that the disappearance case of Kristi Cornwell has been and will continue to be an investigative priority for the GBI as well as the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with any information on the sketch or vehicle is asked to call the tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477).