Bodies Identified As Mother & Son 20 Years After Their Murders
Feb. 6 2019, Updated 2:06 p.m. ET
After 20 years of searching for clues, investigators have identified two bodies found in different states as a mother and son — both who were allegedly killed by the boy's father.
As RadarOnline.com has learned, Ohio boy Robert "Bobby" Adam Whitt's skull and bones were found under a billboard on the side of Interstate 85 in Mebane, North Carolina. The remains were initially discovered in 1998, but investigators could not identify the body.
Around the same time, a woman's dead body was found in South Carolina. Detectives were unable to identify her as well — until now.
Orange County Sheriff's detective Major Tim Horne, who has been working on the case for 20 years, recently used a DNA kit to identify the mother and son's remains and link them together. He then confronted the boy's father — who is currently in federal prison for armed robbery — who allegedly confessed to the murders.
The suspect's family released a statement to ABC11 after hearing the dreadful news.
"Our hearts are broken into a million pieces. We had no idea that Bobby and Myong Hwa were no longer with us and had not been for a very long time. It came as a total shock to us when we spoke to Major Horne," they said.
They added that the boy's father told them a different story about their disappearance, and they never questioned him.
"Our world fell apart. We don't think we can ever forgive our brother for what he did. Bobby was the sweetest, kindest, and funniest little boy. He always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. And to think of that being snuffed out brings a chill to our hearts. Our brother told us Bobby's mother Myong took him back to Korea to raise him and we believed him," the statement continued.
Now, the family has set up a GoFundMe page for the mother and son as they plan to give them a proper burial.
"Now we need to bring him and his mother home where they belong and bury them next to his grandmother who adored him," they said. "We would like to thank the Orange County Sheriff's Department and most especially Major Tim Horne for his 20 plus years of work and never giving up hope and finding Bobby's family. The family would like this time for privacy and to grieve."
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