Brother continues search for sister's killer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- His sister's murder remains a mystery five months after her body was found on the banks of the Catawba River.

Irina Yarmolenko, a 20-year-old UNC-Charlotte student, was killed in May.

On Tuesday night, her brother met with students on campus to talk about the status of the case and their fears, because her killer still hasn't been caught.

Pavel Yarmolenko stood at a college lectern with images of his murdered sister playing on the screen behind him. He is a devastated older brother.

"I’m just kind of going on, thinking about it pretty much all the time," he said.

He is desperately trying to find his sister's killer.

“As a family, we're pretty hopeful the killer will be caught,” he said.

Irina Yarmolenko, Ira to those who knew her, was a beautiful student who loved music, the outdoors and people.

Her roommate and best friend said, “She saw the best in everybody.”

Close friends and her brother worry that might have led to her death. They wonder if a stalker could have kidnapped Yarmolenko and then drove her car towards the river where it was found in Mount Holly.

“Anything is possible,” her roommate said.

It's one of the things they talked about Tuesday night as her brother led an open discussion, remembering the 20-year-old and hoping to get others to remember something that could help lead to her killer.

“It could be just nothing, but the important thing is, those little nothings could enlighten the case significantly,” he told the crowd of former classmates at the Belk Theatre.

Mount Holly's police chief says the murder is an active case, but there's been nothing new in about a month.

That has Pavel Yarmolenko working beside police on his own mission.

“Overall it's the thought that’s running constantly at the back of my mind -- it will go on until this guy is caught,” he said.

Anyone who has information on the Yarmolenko case is asked to call the Mount Holly Police Department at 704-827-4343 or UNC Charlotte Police at 704-687-2200.