Cold Case Unit Identifies Offender in Homicide Investigation

Published on February 24, 2025

Charlotte, N.C. – (Monday, February 24, 2025) – Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) Cold Case Unit have identified a deceased offender in a 40-year-old homicide cold case investigation. 

On Nov. 19, 1984, at approximately 3:12 p.m., officers responded to a missing persons call for service in the 8000 block of Eaglewind Drive. The victim, Sandee Cornett, 26, was reported missing by a neighbor after Cornett did not show up for work.

Several months into the investigation, Larry Gene Bell (DOB 10/30/1948), was identified as a suspect in Cornett’s disappearance. Bell was interviewed by investigators from multiple agencies but was not charged at the time. Bell was later convicted of two murders in South Carolina and was sentenced to death. He was executed on October 4, 1996.

CMPD’s Cold Case Unit, with funding from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, completed a full review of the casework and evidence gathered over four decades. Detectives consulted with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office as part of this review. After completion, detectives determined Bell kidnapped and murdered Sandee Cornett, and he would have been charged if still alive.

Detectives have now cleared this case as Death of Offender. The Cornett family has been notified of these developments.

Sandee Cornett’s remains have never been located, and she remains listed as missing in multiple national databases, including NamUs. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the CMPD Cold Case Unit at 704-432-1600 (TIPS).

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