Voices Left Behind: Faith Hedgepeth & Helle Crafts

Decades apart, two women were taken from the world in brutally different ways, yet their stories are bound by the same haunting question: how does the truth survive when someone tries to erase it?

In this episode, we examine the unsolved 2012 murder of Faith Hedgepeth, a vibrant young woman whose voice was nearly lost to time, and the chilling 1986 case of Helle Crafts, a mother whose husband believed a wood chipper could destroy the truth.

Spoiler Alert, It couldn’t.

From whispered clues and overlooked evidence to forensic breakthroughs that changed criminal investigations forever, these cases reveal how women’s stories persist even when someone works desperately to silence them.

This is not just about how they died.
It’s about how they were heard.

Official Tip Lines

Chapel Hill Police Department — Faith Hedgepeth Tip Line Phone: (919) 614-6363

This number is staffed by investigators familiar with the case, and callers can speak directly about information related to Faith’s murder.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers Phone (anonymous tips): (919) 942-7515

Crime Stoppers allows people to submit tips confidentially or anonymously.

Website: https://www.chapelhillcrimestoppers.com/ — You can submit an anonymous tip online through their TIP form. Chapel Hill CrimeStoppers

JusticeForFaith.com — The official site maintained by Faith’s family and supporters.

Website: https://justiceforfaith.com/ — This site includes updates on memorials, scholarships in Faith’s name, and contact info for tips (the same official numbers above). Justice for faithThey also list an email contact via the site’s contact form and may provide imagery and hashtags (e.g., #JusticeForFaith, #J4F) for awareness campaigns. Justice for faith

If someone has information related to Faith’s murder, law enforcement requests that they:

1. Call (919) 614-6363 to reach Chapel Hill investigators familiar with the case directly.

2. Call Crime Stoppers at (919) 942-7515 if they want to remain anonymous.

3. Submit tips online through the Crime Stoppers website where available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Faith_Hedgepeth• https://justiceforfaith.com/• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faith-hedgepeth-unc-student-found-dead-in-her-apartment/• https://www.wral.com/news/local/court-hearing-faith-hedgepeth-jan-2025/• https://abc11.com/post/faith-hedgepeth-unc-hawani-saponi-tribe-indigenous-women/11027779/• https://www.spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2019/09/22/family-remembers--honors-faith-hedgepeth-with-community-service• https://www.wect.com/2021/09/28/durham-das-office-wont-seek-death-penalty-faith-hedgepeths-accused-killer/• https://www.lawandcrime.com/crime/north-carolina-man-arrested-in-brutal-long-mystifying-2012-murder-of-native-american-unc-student-faith-hedgepeth/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Helle_Crafts

• https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/family/woodchipper_murder/

• https://morbidology.com/the-wood-chipper-murder-helle-crafts/

• https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/2018/11/14/the-murder-of-helle-crafts/

• https://www.newtownbee.com/08111999/notorious-crafts-murder-shook-newtown-ten-years-ago/

• https://www.thescarechamber.com/the-woodchipper-murder-of-newtown-connecticut/

• https://www.mrpalermo.com/uploads/9/8/9/6/9896107/_____________woodchipper_case_study.pdf

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_murder_convictions_without_a_body