Date: 6/8/1992

City: Henderson

County: Vance

SBI District: Capital

Case Description: In June 1992, Cecil Lawrence Chacon Jr. was the vocational coordinator at the Vance County schools, an economics and business teacher at Vance Granville Community College, and a park ranger with the Army Corps of Engineers.  He was active with the Boy Scouts troop of St. John's Episcopal Church. 

On Sunday, June 8, 1992, Mr. Chacon returned from a long trip to Wilmington and stopped to visit his mother on Nelson Street at about 9 p.m. Mrs. Chacon wanted him to stay for the night, even though he lived only a few miles away. Mr. Chacon declined and left alone in his 1976 Buick Skylark about 10 p.m. This was the last time he was seen alive. The Vance County School system did not hear from him on Monday, even though he was scheduled to work.  Mrs. Chacon did not hear from him either, although he called his mother almost daily. 

Two deputies went to Mr. Chacon's residence around 9 p.m. They noticed an open window on the east side of the house and the spotlight at the rear of the house was on. No other lights were on in the house. The front window's screen was lying on the ground and the deputies thought a breaking and entering may have occurred. One deputy entered the house through the basement window. Upon entering a child's bedroom, deputies noticed furniture overturned and dark stains on the carpet. Mr. Chacon's body was found buried in the backyard of his residence. He had suffered numerous stab wounds. His body had been dragged out the back door and buried in a shallow grave approximately 140 feet from the back of his house. This was no simple task since Mr. Chacon was 6' 4" tall and weighed 295 pounds. A blood luminol test was conducted in the Chacon residence which revealed bloody, bare footprints found inside the residence. 

Investigators were not sure if robbery was the motive.  Investigators also noted that the criminal(s) made an attempt to clean up the scene by mopping the kitchen floor and vacuuming the carpet.  A witness reported seeing a Chevrolet Blazer type vehicle parked near the Chacon residence around 10:30 p.m. Monday night.  The vehicle may have been red and black with yellow license plates. 

If you have information about this case or any unsolved case in North Carolina, please contact the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, (800) 334-3000.