Judge seals warrants in case of slain NC mother

RALEIGH — A judge has sealed search warrants executed during the investigation into the slaying of a North Carolina mother whose body was found near her suburban Raleigh home.

The News & Observer reported Monday that Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens said in an order issued last week that releasing information contained in the warrants could jeopardize the prospects for a fair trial.

Search warrants usually are available to the public as soon as detectives complete an inventory of items collected during the search.

Police said 34-year-old Nancy Cooper disappeared from her home in Cary on July 12. Her body was found days later at a construction site not far from her home.

Authorities have not named a suspect in the case or said how Cooper died.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)