March 29, 2021
Source/GoFundMe
Julie Eberly, a 47-year-old mother of six, was fatally shot in North Carolina while traveling with her husband to Hilton Head to celebrate their anniversary. Authorities in Robeson County have a $10,000 reward available for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities in North Carolina are offering a $10,000 reward to help track down a gunman who fatally shot a Lancaster County woman on her way to a beach vacation Thursday.
Julie Eberly, 47, of Manheim, was shot through the passenger door of her vehicle around 11:40 a.m. in Robeson County, just north of Lumberton.
Investigators said the suspect, who was driving a silver Chevrolet Malibu or Impala, rolled down his window and fired several shots after Eberly's husband drove close to the car during a lane merge.
A mother of six, Eberly was was traveling with her husband to Hilton Head, South Carolina to celebrate their anniversary.
"This was an innocent family from Pennsylvania headed to the beach for a vacation," Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said. "Thankfully they had left their six children at home with grandparents but now these kids have to live with the thought of their mother being murdered in such a cowardly and senseless way."
According to witnesses, the suspect was last seen speeding southbound to Exit 22 and crossing a bridge into Lumberton. Eberly's husband pulled off to the side of I-95 to await medical assistance for his wife. She was taken to UNC Southeastern, where she died from her injuries.
The Robeson County Sheriff's Office said that an anonymous resident came forward to offer $10,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Authorities said the silver Chevy had tinted windows, possibly with chrome around the window frame. The suspect was described as a man with dreadlocks.
The Eberly family has received an outpouring of support in the days since the shooting. A GoFundMe memorial campaign had raised more than $47,000 by Monday afternoon.
"We want to raise funds to honor Julie and her life. Julie was a beautiful, loving, generous, and giving person. We will be using the funds to help others and to give to the organizations that were close to her heart," the campaign said. "We are thankful for the outpouring of love and prayers from the Lumberton and Manheim/Lancaster Communities. May Julie’s death not be in vain and may her memory live on by the giving in her name."
