Nell Cropsey

Case background and investigation

On the evening of November 20, 1901, nineteen-year-old Ella Maud 'Nell' Cropsey stepped outside her family's home on the banks of the Pasquotank River in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to speak with her beau, Jim Wilcox, on the porch. She was never seen alive again.

Nell's family raised the alarm that night when she did not return. A massive search of the area ensued, but Nell could not be found. Thirty-seven days later, her body surfaced in the Pasquotank River near the family home. The cause of death was inconclusive—some experts suggested a blow to the temple, others drowning.

Jim Wilcox was arrested and charged with murder. He was convicted in his first trial and sentenced to death, but the verdict was overturned. In a second trial, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years. He served 15 years before being pardoned by the governor.

Many in the community believed Wilcox was innocent, while others thought he had killed Nell in a quarrel about their relationship. Wilcox maintained his innocence for the rest of his life. In 1934, he died by suicide. The true circumstances of Nell Cropsey's death remain debated by historians.