The body of a missing 31 year-old man was found today in a shallow grave. Terrance Rashawn Ford was last seen leaving his home on Raven Rock Road near Lillington on December 12, 2019.
The Harnett County Sheriff’s Office said their missing person investigation determined foul play was involved. A person of interest in the disappearance was identified as 37 year-old Derrick Wesley Brooks of Red Bird Drive in Cameron. Detectives received information Ford’s body was located on property off T.W. Campbell Lane near Lillington.
A search warrant was conducted on the site Thursday. A cadaver K-9 and ground search techniques were used. This morning (Friday) around 11:00am, Ford’s body was located in a shallow grave on the property.
Warrants were served today on Derrick Brooks for murder and concealment/failure to report a death. Brooks was served with the warrants in the Harnett County Jail. He was already in custody on an unrelated felony narcotics charge. He is being held without bond.
“This investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed on Brooks or coconspirators,” Major Aaron Meredith said in a news release. Authorities have not released a motive.
Terrance Ford’s cousin recently spoke to Johnston County Report. They said Terrance was born in Phenix City, Alabama, the youngest of four children. This was not the first tragedy for the family. His brother was killed in Alabama in 2011.
In 2013, Terrance moved to North Carolina to be closer to his girlfriend’s family.
Family members said Terrance was last seen in December driving a rental car that had been abandoned and burned about the same time he was reported missing. They told us Terrance did construction work and was a loving father to his two children. “He has a laid back personality,” his cousin said. “He is a person who never met a stranger. He was good at anything he tried to do. He loved his children, he loved music and working out.”
Relatives said they recently heard rumors Terrance was no longer alive. With today’s discovery, tragically, those rumors turned out to be true.
