Irina Yarmolenko
MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- Someone was in the driver's seat of Irina Yarmolenko’s car at the time it went down the embankment into the Catawba River earlier this year, Mount Holly police said Wednesday.
The black box inside the slain UNC Charlotte student’s car revealed that the car was started at the scene, the driver’s side seatbelt was engaged and the car was traveling about 15 mph.
"It certainly some additional information that gives us some idea of actually what took place down there at the riverbank, and as the investigation progresses we can certainly use that,” said Chief David Belk of the Mount Holly Police Department.
The 20-year-old Chapel Hill native's body was found in May near the banks of the river and preliminary autopsy results show she was suffocated.
"We're looking for closure for the community and especially for the family so we're not going to take any of the resources off this case," said Belk.
News 14's Brad Broders has more on the recent announcement regarding the death of a UNC Charlotte student earlier this year.
In the next few weeks, the SBI and FBI are expected to release the findings of their investigation which could provide police with DNA, hair samples or other forensic clues.
“I certainly hope that the analysis comes back and says, "alright, we need to look at this individual here, or this type of individual,’” said Belk.
Meanwhile, the victim’s older brother Pavel Yarmolenko hopes the latest information is another step in putting his sister’s killer behind bars.
"The real thing that we are struggling to understand is how this person could keep on living after having done something like this to a special person like my sister,” said Pavel. “I think that overall we'll get great closure once this person is caught."
University officials are offering a $10,000 reward and police are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call police.