Diamondhead man arrested in connection to North Carolina cold case

DIAMONDHEAD, Miss. (WLOX) - A man living in Diamondhead is the prime suspect in a North Carolina murder.

Federal authorities arrested 71-year-old Warren Luther Alexander Tuesday at his Diamondhead home. He’s accused of a 30-year-old murder in Surry County, North Carolina.

Alexander was arrested after a joint investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Surry County Sheriff’s Office into a 1992 murder of a North Carolina woman.

On the morning of July 7, 1992, the body of a woman later identified as Nona Stamey Cobb was found on the northbound side of Interstate 77 in Surry County. At the request of the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, the SBI assisted with the investigation.

In April of 2021, special agents from the SBI’s Cold Case Investigation Unit and investigators from the Surry County Sheriff’s Office returned to the physical evidence in the case which was re-examined to include DNA.

While working with Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, founder of Identifiers International LLC, agents were able to identify Alexander as a possible suspect in Cobb’s murder using DNA.

Alexander is held on a charge of murder and is being held at the Hancock County Jail awaiting extradition to North Carolina.

This is an ongoing investigation as investigators are looking into whether there are more victims.

In addition to the agents from the SBI Cold Case Investigation Unit, we are appreciative of the SBI’s Hickory District Office, NC State Crime Laboratory, Surry County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Diamondhead Police Department, and the FBI Gulfport Office.

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