In short, she left a night club, got in to a truck with a guy (allegedly) and was found murdered the next day. Crime site that explains the story very well- http://www.crimenet.org/show_unsolved.phtml?id=86&sid= Message board that explains it fairly well- http://www.mountainx.com/forums/viewthread/2648/P0/ Edit to add- She was twenty at the time of her murder. There is debate to whether she was considered a "party girl" or not (which shouldn't matter, no one deserves her fate), her friends claim she rarely drank.
One link says she was stabbed one time and friends of Ambers say she was stabbed 11 times on the other link. Very conflicting reports about the color of the truck.
Here is a great story written shortly after her death. It is about how much everyone loved her, what a good person she was, etc. Your general "a young person just died" piece. http://www.mountainx.com/news/2010/remembering_amber_originally_published_july_2_1997
I think that the conflicting statements from the detective and the witnesses can be attributed to the difference between a killing stab wound and defense wounds. The first article linked in the OP quotes the detective as saying there were some bruises and defensive cuts, so I'm thinking that the conflict isn't actually conflicting, but rather the difference between a professional and a friend's opinion as to what happened. Further, what is interesting is that she had bruises and fought, apparently, very hard for her life. As the bruises were unable to be covered by post mortem makeup (which usually is able to cover most bruises), I think that she was held for awhile after being beat, for those bruises to be developed; if that's true, then she was either taken earlier, or died later, than what is thought (or I'm completely wrong; that is more likely the case). As to the difference between a green and a red truck, I've known for years that for some reason, those colors are insanely difficult to distinguish between in low/night light. The reason is the rods/cones in the eye cannot distinguish the wavelength, as they are similar lengths, in low light. I was hit by a car when I was a child, and have clear memories of hitting the hood of a red car. Actually, the car was green. So...memories can also play tricks. I also think the UBSUB was smart in putting her into running water; it would "wash" the body, and take away some of the forensic evidence that would link UnSub with the body, the murder scene, and clothing. I think that was fairly deliberate, and done with a working man's knowledge of forensics. This will be an interesting cold case to follow... Best- Herding Cats
that article is just heartbreaking. I cant believe how often these horrible things happen ... people get caught up in the big cases but the sheer volume of cases we rarely hear anything about, that go unsolved, is horrific.
I found this article from May of this year, but haven't been able to locate any info as to if they've actually submitted any samples yet or the outcome of any testing done. From May 2015: http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/fea...report-cold-case-squad-372.shtml#.Vf8-KGt5mK2 A new SBI Cold Case Unit as well as Asheville Cold Case detectives are hoping that new advances in DNA testing might help solve 3 cold case murders (Amber Lundgren 1997, Pam Murray 1987, and Virginia Olsen 1973). In Amber's case, it appears they recovered some touch DNA as well as a rape kit, which they are hoping will provide them with a tangible lead.
I am shocked it happened in Asheville. Is there an article that talks specifically about her cause of death?
