Whiteville homicide $25K reward raises questions; SBI explains funding for unsolved crime tip incentives
WHITEVILLE, N.C. (WWAY) — As the suspect in last month’s Whiteville homicide remains at large, state officials approved a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, but the reward has raised questions regarding which unsolved crimes receive tip incentives.
Whiteville Police Chief Paul Rockenbach announced the reward, authorized by North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein through the governor’s clemency office, in connection with the March killing of 71-year-old Cynthia Hansen.
“The governor of North Carolina Josh Stein has authorized a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the murder of Ms. Cynthia Hansen,” Rockenbach said.
The announcement has raised questions about other unsolved cases in Columbus County, including a January drive-by shooting that killed 17-year-old Autumn Spivey.
“You know it was a 17-year-old white female that is deceased so any help would be appreciated,” Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers said.
Rogers said his office is continuing to investigate both Spivey’s case and another unsolved drive-by shooting that killed 7-year-old Antonio Jamal Maultsby Jr. in 2024. A reward in the Maultsby case currently stands at $4,400, including $1,000 from the sheriff’s office.
Officials with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation say the process for awarding state-funded rewards begins with local law enforcement.
“If the proper request is made, all rewards are looked at on a case-by-case basis,” said Chad Flowers, the agency’s public information director.
Flowers said local agencies must submit a formal request, which is sent to the governor’s clemency office and then reviewed by the SBI. Investigators evaluate whether all leads have been exhausted and whether offering a reward could help move the case forward.
He emphasized that decisions are not based on the victim’s background.
“It doesn’t matter if they are affluent, or extremely poor, if they are Black, if they are white, if they are male or female, none of that matters when it comes to giving and deciding on who to give a reward to,” Flowers said. “It’s based totally on where the case is and would it be helpful to move the case along if we offered a cash reward.”
WWAY reached out to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office to ask whether reward requests had been made in the Spivey and Maultsby cases.
In a statement, spokesperson Jenna Jalving said no request has been submitted.
“After speaking with Sheriff, he nor any of our staff have requested any money from the governor’s clemency office for either of these cases. The reward for Maultsby case still stands at $4,400,” Jalving said.
Jalving added that anyone interested in contributing to the Maultsby reward fund can contact the sheriff’s office.
