SHERIFF: Craven Co. murder suspect may no longer be in search area, set to broaden to nationwide manhunt

CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The search for murder suspect Dominic Connelly is expanding into other jurisdictions now, as the Craven County sheriff says he believes he may not be in the search area anymore.

In an update Sunday night, the 12th day of the manhunt, Sheriff Chip Hughes said that the search efforts in the over 700-acre Vanceboro search area have not brought up much since Connelly’s last known sighting on Tuesday.

“Our search efforts here have not brought up anything substantiated since November 4th, so we will be broadening searches. More than likely, it will turn into a nationwide manhunt, that’s why you see a lot of federal agencies here,” said Sheriff Hughes.

According to Hughes, the multiple agencies helping have been following hundreds of tips that come in daily and have not ruled out the idea that Connelly may have help. The last confirmed sighting was Tuesday on Highway 43 near Mile Road outside of Vanceboro. While Sheriff Hughes says they are still focusing on that area, they are getting to the point where they believe they have cleared the area.

“The longer we go here without a credible sighting, that will lead us to believe a couple of things, one of which is that he may no longer be here,” said Sheriff Hughes.

The 24-year-old Craven County man is wanted for the stabbing death of his grandmother on October 25th outside of Havelock and for stabbing a deputy sheriff four days later in Vanceboro. Sunday night, Sheriff Hughes discussed a possible motive, stating that Connelly was living with his grandmother, who was enabling him.

“He did not have a job, so basically he was living off her expenses,” Sheriff Hughes said.

Once the grandmother stopped helping Connelly, Sheriff Hughes says he believes that’s what resulted in Connelly committing “the heinous crime”.

The FBI says over the past week, authorities have seized items they say Connelly depended upon to eat, sleep, and survive. The man was spotted on Tuesday wearing beige coveralls, the FBI says were possibly taken from an abandoned building or vehicle in the search area.

According to Sheriff Hughes, multiple agencies are working to help find Connellly, including:

• Craven County Emergency Management
• Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office
• Martin County Sheriff’s Office
• Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office
• New Bern Police Department
• Vanceboro Police Department
• Vanceboro Volunteer Fire Department
• North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
• North Carolina State Highway Patrol
• U.S. Marshals Service
• North Carolina Wildlife and Resource Commission
• U.S. Coast Guard
• North Carolina Department of Corrections

Sheriff Hughes also gave a message to Connelly, telling him to think about his actions and to turn himself in peacefully. The FBI now says the total reward for the man’s capture is $10,000.

Some Vanceboro residents, like Jason Jones say they think Connelly will be caught soon.

“ I feel that the craven county sheriffs office with all these resources is doing everything they can. They’re gonna bag this guy soon, they’re too good at what they do,” Jones told WITN.

Anyone with information on Connelly should call the Craven County Sheriff’s Office at (252) 636-6620 or Craven County Communications at (252) 633-2357.