On Monday afternoon, a jet skier spotted a car and a deceased female on an embankment near the Catawba River in Mount Holly. (Gaston County) She asked nearby construction workers to call police.Police have identified the victim as 20-year old Irina "Ira" Yarmolenko. (Photo Right) Police have ruled her death a homicide and said she died from asphyxiation.
Irina was a student at UNC-Charlotte and was last seen in the University area of Charlotte prior to her disappearance. The Mt. Holly Police Dept & UNCC Police Department are working together to solve the case.
Irina Yarmolenko was last seen on Monday morning at approx. 10:50 am, when she left Jackson’s Java- a coffee shop located in the Town Centre Plaza off University City Boulevard. Her body was discovered in Gaston County around 1:15 pm. Police are trying to piece together her whereabouts on Monday between 10:50 am - 1:15pm.
When Irina disappeared, she was driving her 1998 blue 4-door Saturn. (NC Tag XRD-5018) If you have any information for police, please call the Mount Holly Police Department at 704-827-4343 or UNC Charlotte Police at 704-687-2200 or Gaston County Crime Stoppers at 704-861-8000.
Links:
- Surveillance Video from Goodwill
- Listen to 911 Call
- Fox News: Mystery Surrounds Death of UNCC Student
- Gaston Gazette