Family believes killer will be caught

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's been nearly two months since UNC-Charlotte student Irina Yarmolenko was murdered.

On Thursday, her brother spoke directly to the killer, who still hasn't been caught.

"You may have figured out already that this will torment you for the rest of your days," Pavel Yarmolenko said while reading a statement on the UNCC campus Thursday. "The only way for you to heal this wound in your soul now is to truly realize the extent of the tragedy you have created. I have no doubt that once you realize how deeply you have hurt us all, you will be unable to do anything other than surrender. That is if you have any shred of decency left."

Irina Yarmolenko's body and her car were found May 5 on the banks of the Catawba River in Mount Holly. Investigators said she had been suffocated.

"The only way that you can possibly benefit us all is to stand up to the justice that awaits you," Pavel Yarmolenko said to the killer. "Everyone's life must balance out in the end. If you don't know this yet, consider being honest with yourself."

Yarmolenko says he's in daily contact with the Mount Holly Police Department, which is investigating the case.

"But what they do think is that this case will be solved," he said. "Because just due to the experience with cases like this, that it doesn't seem that all is lost."

Yarmolenko says he ran the words of his statement by the Mount Holly Police Department for their approval.

Anyone with information on the case should call the Mount Holly Police Department at 704-827-4343.