Cruel Summer - The Tragic Death of Donna Emmel

Donna Emmel was fifteen years old and enjoying the summer between her sophomore and junior year of high school.  June 16, 1975, was a typical summer day in Newport, NC.  That day, Donna went to hang out with friends at the popular Grice’s Grill off Highway 70 in Newport., North Carolina.  Around 8:30 that evening, Donna’s mother called the grill and said it was time for Donna to head back home.  Donna was seen leaving, taking a shortcut through woods to her house which she had taken many times before, alone and in the dark.  However, this night was different.  Donna never made it home.  The search for Donna ended the next afternoon when her body was found in a drainage ditch, just across from her own home.  In the weeks after the murder, more than 100 people were questioned.  Over the years, law enforcement followed up on any leads in the investigation but still no answers.

Music by Bryan Anderson
Cover Art by Marley Soden