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| Source: Legacy.com |
Margaret 'Maggie' Stickler vanished from Richmond, Virginia on April 16th, 2022. The then-21-year-old woman was reportedly last seen alive near local motels on Chamberlayne Avenue and Brookland Park Boulevard. After this last sighting, Maggie's communications with her family ceased, and her social media activity abruptly stopped. She was later reported missing by her mother.
Maggie is originally from Botetourt County, Virginia and grew up in Fincastle. According to her mother, Maggie relocated to Richmond to complete a drug rehabilitation/continuing drug abstinence program. She reportedly battled with drug addiction for at least a year and a half prior to her disappearance.
Despite Maggie's struggles, she still kept in touch with her family. She spoke to her mother on the phone on the same day of her disappearance, and nothing seemed amiss during their conversation. However, at some point later that day, Maggie vanished.
Six months later, in October 2022, human remains were found in a wooded area near Elm City, North Carolina. It took nearly a year, but in August of 2023, those remains were identified as that of Margaret 'Maggie' Stickler. Her death was labeled a homicide.
Over two years have passed since Maggie was found deceased, but the case still remains unsolved. Both family members and investigators alike are left with several questions, namely: Who killed Maggie? How did she end up in Elm City?
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The initial investigation.
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| Source: ABC 8 |
As previously noted, Maggie was last seen alive in Richmond, Virginia on April 16th, 2022. She spoke with her mother on the phone that day, and said she'd call again the following day. The family did reportedly receive a "Happy Easter" text from Maggie's phone in a group chat the following day - but the phone call never came.
Then, all attempts to reach Maggie went unanswered. Her social media activity abruptly stopped. After days of silence, Maggie's mother finally contacted police to report her daughter missing.
Throughout the investigation, it was revealed that Maggie's boyfriend, Mitchell Cooper, was amongst the last people to have seen Maggie alive. When questioned, Cooper told police that he last saw Maggie leaving the Richmond Motel on Chamberlayne Avenue. There were reportedly other sightings of Maggie in or around the same area later that day. After that, the trail seemingly went cold.
It was noted that, after the initial questioning, Cooper quickly retained an attorney and became uncooperative with the investigation. In June 2023, Richmond police Detective Clarence Key told reporters that Cooper was a "person of interest" in Maggie's disappearance. However, to this day, Cooper has not been charged with anything related to the case.
Remains found near Elm City, NC.
On October 15th, 2022 - almost exactly 6 months after Maggie's disappearance - hunters in Wilson County, North Carolina found human skeletal remains in a wooded area south of Elm City. The state's medical examiner determined that the deceased was likely a "Caucasian woman between 20-25 years old with auburn hair." Investigators revealed that the woman had been a victim of homicide; having likely been killed in a different location before her body was left in the woods.
The human remains were found 150 miles away from Richmond, Virginia - where Maggie was last seen. As such, Maggie's name initially did not even come up on detective's short list of possible identities for the human remains. In January 2023, it was reported that investigators had entered descriptions of the victim into NamUs, and five possible matches came up. However, dental records ruled out all five people.
Many people in Wilson County speculated about the remains possibly belonging to either 20-year-old Isabel 'Chaveli' Palacios or 35-year-old Tammy Grady - as both women vanished from the area. However, investigators were unable to match the remains to either woman.
August 2023: Maggie is identified.
Ten months after the remains were found, it was finally confirmed through DNA that the body was that of Margaret 'Maggie' Stickler. Her family was soon notified that not only was Maggie deceased, but her death was a homicide, and her body had been hidden. Shortly thereafter, her family shared the following message:
"It is with saddened and broken hearts that we share that the search for Maggie Stickler has ended. Her remains were discovered last October in North Carolina and we have now confirmed her identity. Maggie’s struggles are over. She will soon be at peace. We are in the process of bringing her home and have scheduled services for Labor Day weekend...We would like to thank you all for your unwavering support. Your calls, texts and messages have been incredible and we are eternally grateful. We ask that you allow us time to process and grieve in private.
A beautiful light has been extinguished and our world will never be the same.
RIP sweet Maggie"
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| Source: WTVR.com |
What happened to Maggie?
To this day, no arrests have been made related to Maggie's case. Based on the known information and speculation, a few theories can be made - but it should be noted that, at this time, nothing has been confirmed.
When Maggie was first reported missing, there was speculation that her battles with addiction played a role in her disappearance. Reports state that she initially lived in a recovery residence in Richmond, but shortly before her disappearance, she was staying at a motel. There was various online speculation that Maggie might have been in active addiction and was avoiding her family out of shame. Other speculation was even more grim - that she had possibly overdosed and was yet to be found.
There was (and still is) inevitable speculation about Maggie's boyfriend, Mitchell Cooper, as well. Not only was he one of the last known people to have seen Maggie alive, but he was also quick to hire a lawyer and stop cooperating with police. Additionally, Richmond Detective Key told reporters that Cooper was a person of interest back in June 2023.
Said June 2023 report was before Maggie's remains were identified. Since the confirmation of Maggie's death, police have not mentioned anything further about Cooper. Still, it appears that he has not been ruled out, either.
While detectives have confirmed that they are investigating Maggie's death as a homicide, they have otherwise remained quiet about the status of the investigation.
An open case.
The homicide of Margaret 'Maggie' Stickler remains open and unsolved. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Wilson Police Department at 252-399-2323 or the Richmond Police Department at 804-646-5125.
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Sources:
10 News
Charley Project
The Wilson Times
WTVR, (2)
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