CMPD Cold Case Unit closes 40-year-old case, cleared as ‘Death of Offender'
Sandee Cornett was reported missing by a neighbor in November 1984 after she did not show up for work. Cornett was 26 years old at the time, police said.
Police responded to the 8000 block of Eagle Wind Drive on Nov. 19, 1984, around 3:15 p.m., according to police.
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Larry Gene Bell was identified as a suspect in Cornett's disappearance after several months of investigation, according to a CMPD release. Investigators interviewed Bell, but no charges were pressed against him.
Bell was executed on Oct. 4. 1996 after being convicted for two murders in South Carolina, police said.
Police said they have determined that Bell kidnapped and murdered Cornett.
The case has been cleared by detectives as 'Death of Offender.' If Bell were still alive, police say he would have been charged in connection with Cornett's disappearance.
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Police said Cornett's remains have never been located and she remains on several national missing persons databases.
The Cold Case Unit used funding from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to complete a full review of casework and evidence.
Police ask that anyone with information on Cornett's disappearance contact the CMPD Cold Case Unit at (704) 432-TIPS.
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