Man Charged In 2016 Homicide Case Linked To Other Crimes: Sheriff

MOORESVILLE, NC — One year ago, skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near a water tower not far from Interstate 77 in Mooresville. This week, the case took a turn toward resolution when a man believed to be behind the homicide that occurred more than three years ago was formally charged, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

In January 2019, remains were discovered in a wooded area off Bridgewater Lane in Mooresville. At the time, sheriff investigators confirmed the remains were human but did not release information about how the person died or how long the remains had been in the location.

Months passed and, in early December, investigators said they knew who had been found in the remote location. The remains, they said, were those of Anastasia Talisha Meaders, a 29-year-old Charlotte woman who was reported missing more than three years ago.

Her identity confirmed, it didn’t take authorities long to locate the man who has been linked to a number of grisly crimes and who, her family believed, was tied to her disappearance: Timothy Lavaun Crumitie.

Remains Found

In the months since the discovery of the remains in early 2019, the investigation into the identity of the victim involved academics, law enforcement and medical personnel in at least two states.

After an initial two-day investigation at the site, detectives collected the bones and sent them to North Carolina Baptist hospital for an autopsy.

"The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head," ICSO said in a statement in December. "Due to the limited number of bones located, and the amount of time the remains appeared to have been exposed to the elements, the race, age and gender could not be immediately determined."

Following the autopsy, the bones were then sent to North Carolina State University, where a forensic dentist and forensic anthropologist studied them for about 10 months. During that same time period, Iredell detectives searched missing persons reports for possible leads.

In October, analysis of DNA material extracted from a found tooth performed at the University of Northern Texas Center for Human Identification confirmed the body was that of Anastasia Talisha Meaders, who was reported missing in Charlotte in 2016.

Meaders, who went by the nickname "Star," was 29 at the time she went missing, and had last been seen alive in June 2016, authorities said.

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Confirming Meaders’ identity was a pivotal step in the case, leading investigators to interviews with her family and witnesses, which helped identify 54-year-old Crumitie as a primary suspect.

Crumitie already had a grisly connection to Meaders and her family. He’s serving a life sentence for the attempted murder of Meaders’ mother, Kimberly Cherry, and the murder of Cherry’s boyfriend, Michael Gretsinger, in August 2016 in Mecklenburg County.

Those crimes took place around the same time Meaders was reported missing, investigators said.

“The last time Meaders was physically seen was June 17, 2016, at a beauty shop in Charlotte,” ICSO said.

Crumitie was the last person to be seen with her, investigators found.

Long Criminal Record

Meaders and her mother first met Crumitie in a church in Concord, North Carolina, where he was a pastor. By that time, however, he had a lengthy criminal record and connections to several mysterious deaths.

Crumitie’s arrest record stretches back to 1989, when he was arrested in his early 20s for armed robbery in Onslow County. He was convicted of that crime in 1990, and served eight years in prison. Seven years later — in 2005 — he was back in prison after he was arrested and charged with the murder of his business partner, Danny Daye Johnson in Mecklenburg County. He served five years in jail on that charge, but was released when the case was dismissed, the sheriff's office said.

Three years later, in 2013, Crumitie was living in Concord and once again found himself under investigation for murder.

In July of that year, Crumitie’s wife, Sharon Crumitie, and a man, James Banks, were shot and killed at the Crumitie home. Crumitie told investigators at the time that Banks shot his wife in the head when they encountered him breaking into the garage of their home.

“Timothy Crumitie claimed he then wrestled the gun away from Banks,” ICSO said. “During the altercation, Crumitie shot Banks in the head after sustaining a gunshot wound to the hand.”

No charges were ever filed in that case, according to reports.

Months later, in December 2013, Crumitie’s home burned to the ground, and investigators said it was intentional. He was arrested in early 2014, and charged with insurance fraud.

By April 2016, he was living with an older woman in Rowan County when she died under questionable circumstances, Iredell’s sheriff said. “Crumitie had befriended the elderly female, and at some point during their year-long relationship, he became appointed as her power of attorney and executor over her estate,” ICSO said.

Four months later, in August 2016, Crumitie would be charged with the murder of Gretsinger and attempted murder of Cherry, for which he is currently serving a life sentence. He was served with an arrest warrant for the murder of Anastasia Meaders on Jan. 21.

“This investigation is still ongoing and the Iredell County Sheriff’s office is working with other agencies to resolve still open cases,” ICSO said.