Overview of The Deck: Jimmy “Jamie” Riddle (9 of Diamonds, North Carolina)
This episode of The Deck examines the 1991 murder of Jimmy “Jamie” Riddle, a 24-year-old Lumbee tribal member from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the long, frustrating failure of law enforcement to meaningfully investigate his death at the time. The case went cold for decades, but a new detective has recently reopened it and identified a possible suspect through old witness statements and more modern DNA testing. The episode is both a true-crime update and a powerful look at how bias, poor police work, and lack of support can leave a family without answers for years.
What Happened in 1991
- In the fall of 1991, a couple fishing at sunrise in College Lake in Fayetteville saw what they first thought was a blow-up doll floating in the water.
- It was later identified as the body of 24-year-old Jimmy Riddle, also known to some as Jamie.
- Riddle’s official cause of death was:
- Drowning
- Complicated by ligature strangulation
- The family later saw signs of violence on the body at the funeral, suggesting a severe beating as well.
Investigation Details and Early Leads
Family’s first notice of the death
- Riddle’s brother, Max, got a phone call telling him to watch the news because his brother might be on TV.
- The news ultimately reported an unidentified body had been found in the lake.
- Max went to the medical center to identify the body and confirmed it was Jimmy.
Poor police follow-up
- The family says they were never contacted by police after the murder.
- No detective ever introduced themselves to the family, at least not in any memorable or documented way.
- The episode strongly suggests the case may have been dismissed early because Riddle was a gay or gender-nonconforming Native person and sex worker.
Witness timeline
Investigators later reconstructed a partial timeline from witnesses:
- Riddle was seen on Bragg Boulevard in the early morning hours of September 26, 1991.
- Witnesses described Riddle being with two white men in a red GMC pickup truck.
- One of the men was nicknamed or identified as “Shea.”
- Later, Riddle was seen at a trailer where the men reportedly wanted to use the place for sex.
- Riddle was said to be charging $20 each.
- After an argument, Riddle walked away alone toward Bragg Boulevard.
- Hours later, Riddle was found in College Lake, about seven miles away.
Physical Evidence and Forensic Clues
Police collected several items from the scene:
- Tire tracks and tire casts
- A pink wallet or purse
- A matching earring
- A beer carton and beer cans
- A used condom
- A military-style belt buckle
- Clothing believed to belong to Riddle
Why the evidence mattered
- The military-style belt buckle suggested one of the suspects may have had military ties.
- That pointed investigators toward Fort Bragg, which was nearby.
- Tire evidence suggested the red truck may have been at both the trailer and the lake, though the lab could not conclusively prove it was the same vehicle.
- DNA later found on:
- the earring
- one of the beer cans
- The earring contained an unknown male DNA profile.
- The beer can produced a CODIS hit in 2006.
The Major Breakthrough: “Mark”
The DNA hit led investigators to a man the episode refers to as Mark:
- He was not in the military, but he had been raised in a military family.
- He had a long history of violence and control toward women.
- He had a criminal record going back to 1991 and later committed a brutal sexual assault in 1998.
- He was already in prison when the CODIS match was found.
Why he is significant
- Mark’s appearance resembled the dark-haired composite sketch from the original investigation.
- He denied knowing Riddle, denied being near the crime scene, and denied knowing “Shea.”
- He could not explain why his DNA was found at the scene.
- Detectives also noted that he was supposed to begin serving a sentence the day after Riddle was killed, raising questions about what he was doing on September 26, 1991.
The New Detective’s Work
In the 2020s, Detective Joseph Bergamine reopened the case and began piecing together the file from old notes and reports.
What he plans to do next
- Re-interview surviving witnesses and involved parties
- Send remaining evidence to a private lab for updated DNA testing
- Specifically test:
- the used condom
- the clothing found at the scene
- the unknown male DNA on the earring
- Continue investigating Mark and any possible ties to the red truck or “Shea”
Why this matters
- Mark is projected to be released from prison in 2028
- Solving the case soon could have direct public-safety implications
Family Impact and Themes
This episode is as much about the family’s decades-long grief as it is about the murder itself.
- Max became the family’s point person and carried the burden of the case for decades.
- Anne and Max never got real answers from police.
- Their mother died in 2020 without ever learning who killed her child.
- The family’s inability to push the case harder was framed as a survival issue, not a lack of care.
- The episode emphasizes the harm caused when victims are ignored because of their identity, race, or sexuality.
Key Takeaways
- Jimmy/Jamie Riddle’s murder was likely under-investigated from the start.
- Witnesses placed Riddle with two white men in a red GMC truck shortly before the murder.
- DNA evidence later pointed to a man now being treated as a strong suspect.
- New detective work and modern testing may finally bring answers after more than 30 years.
- The family is finally seeing some hope for justice, but the case remains unsolved.
Call to Action
If you have information about the murder of Jimmy or Jamie Riddle in Fayetteville, North Carolina, contact:
- Fayetteville Police Department: 910-433-1529
- Fayetteville-Cumberland County Crime Stoppers: 910-483-8477
Anonymous tips in an open unsolved case may qualify for a reward of up to $5,000.