Students and colleagues remember victim identified in SBI death investigation

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said SBI agents were called to assist with a death investigation at a residence in the 600 block of Sawgrass Road in Hampstead on December 4.

The victim has been identified as Heather Lee Fennell, 46.

Fennell had worked at Topsail Middle School for more than 20 years, where she taught 6th-grade science.

Justina DeVito, now a sophomore at Cape Fear Community College, said Fennell was a great teacher who cared deeply about her students and enjoyed teaching science.

“She would always come in, she was always so excited to teach, you could tell that she loved what she taught,” Devito said. “She was a complete science nerd. She was so, like I said earlier, she’s so inspiring. She taught fun things, I always looked forward to her class in the morning. She was, yeah she was amazing, she’s an amazing person.”

Topsail Middle School Principal Dr. Alan McNaughton said the district has provided grief counselors for students and staff.

He said Fennell’s death has hit some students hard.

“We’ve got, we have quite a few students that are very upset, obviously, by that news because they had such a great relationship with her,” McNaughton said. “In previous years, yeah, I would say that was one of her strengths is that she built great relationships and she loved to be at school.”

Pender County Schools released a statement which said in part, “Our district recognizes the profound impact Ms. Fennell had on her students and colleagues. We extend our deepest condolences to her family during this difficult time. We are also committed to supporting our impacted school community, and counseling and other resources will be made available to students and staff as they process this tragic news.”

The SBI said the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

The investigation into Fennell’s death remains ongoing.