Sheriff reminds community of $94K reward in Rhonda Hinson's death

Monday marked the 44th anniversary of Rhonda Hinson’s murder, and once again, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office reminded residents of the $94,700 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her death.

“The Rhonda Hinson murder investigation is still very much an open case,” Burke County Sheriff Banks Hinceman said. “It’s been 44 years since Rhonda Hinson’s murder. That is 16,060 days that her family and friends have lived with unanswered questions. 16,060 days that her mother and father have missed their only daughter and the life she would have lived, and they have lived that loss every day.”

The $94,700 reward draws from three agencies: $40,000 from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office; up to $25,000 from the NC SBI, with the exact amount to be determined by the NC SBI and the governor; and $29,700 from the Morganton/Burke Crimestoppers.

“You would think it would get easier,” Rhonda’s mother, Judy Hinson said. “But, it doesn’t.”

Hinson and her husband, Bobby, still live in the same home Rhonda shared with them in 1981. Hinson said she hasn’t changed much in Rhonda’s room, leaving many things as they were when Rhonda passed.

On Dec. 22, 1981, 19-year-old Rhonda Hinson dropped her friends off after a Christmas party and headed home. She was shot inside of her Datsun 210 near the Mineral Springs Mountain Road exit on I-40 West while traveling toward Valdese.

The bullet, fired from a rifle, entered through the trunk and traveled through the back and front seat before fatally puncturing her heart and lungs.

Officers found her body lying beside her car, with her arms by her side.

Her death remains unsolved, and the story has been featured on several true crime podcasts and television shows such as Unsolved Mysteries and WBTV’s True Crime Carolinas.

Despite years of tips and leads, the case remains unsolved.

“I worked the case for many years as an SBI agent and have done a lot of leads with no results,” Valdese Chief of Police Marc Sharpe said. “Since I’ve been back in Valdese, we’ve had one information tip come in, which ended up being a dead end or of no value.”

Hinson isn’t easily deterred, however.

“I’ve talked to detectives working the case,” she said. She’s confident in their capabilities, saying they are positive about their chances of solving the case all these years later.

Hinson reflected on a conversation she had with Rhonda not long before her death. She reminisced on Rhonda’s promises of never leaving home.

“If Rhonda was here, she would be here,” Hinson said. “She would have moved, but she wouldn’t have left Burke County. … Rhonda’s death was the last thing on Earth I ever thought would happen.”

She explained that her husband recently learned he has congestive heart failure. Between the two of them coping with health issues, with the assistance of their son, she hopes to see an end to the speculation and find answers to decades-old questions.

“I don’t beg,” she said. “But I am begging. We need to have some answers before we leave this Earth. I will never stop. I will never give up … I think somebody knows.”

Any person providing information could be required to testify in court. The sheriff requested anyone with information contact the dedicated tip line at 828-764-9549 or use the free Burke County Sheriff’s Office app to submit a tip.

The SBI Cold Case unit also continues to work on the case and can also be reached with tips.