Angela Stephens

Case Information:

Angela Stephens (Angela Cherice Gwinn Stephens), was 23 years old when she went missing from Beckley, West Virginia, on Friday, October 1, 1993. Affectionately called Cherice by those who knew her best, the vibrant young woman seemingly dissolved into thin air directly following a routine morning commute.

When she uncharacteristically failed to maintain contact with her tight-knit family over the ensuing months, her alarmed loved ones bypassed significant domestic hurdles to file a formal missing persons report with the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office on September 12, 1994.

Case Details:

The structural framework of Cherice’s final documented movements rests entirely upon an alibi provided by her husband at the time, Norman Stephens. He claimed she dropped him off for his daily shift at the United Parcel Service hub located in the 200 block of George Street within the industrial sector of Beckley, West Virginia.

According to his narrative, Cherice never returned to secure his transport home at the conclusion of the workday. This prompted him to hitch a ride with an unidentified colleague, returning to a completely empty home where both his wife and her white 1993 Dodge Daytona were notably absent.

Timeline of Events:

• October 1, 1991: Cherice meets her future husband, Norman Stephens, during a chance Halloween encounter while employed at Spartan Sporting Goods.
• May 2, 1992: The young couple officially weds in Pearisburg, Virginia, subsequently relocating to a rural, 98-acre ancestral family farm in Bolt, West Virginia.
• October 1, 1993: Cherice drives her husband to his corporate workplace on George Street, marking the final reported sighting of her alive.
• October 27, 1993: Norman Stephens proactively files for an uncontested divorce less than four weeks after alleging his wife voluntarily abandoned him.
• November 1, 1993: The missing white 1993 Dodge Daytona mysteriously reappears abandoned in the employer’s parking lot with the keys tucked above the sun visor.
• September 12, 1994: Distraught and sensing severe foul play, the Gwinn family formally initiates an official law enforcement investigation into her disappearance.
• September 2017: Forensic recovery units finally secure historical clearance to execute an intensive physical search of an exposed local church septic tank.

Investigation:

The initial probe suffered devastating setbacks due to a ten-month reporting delay, compounded by the immediate sale of the couple’s white Dodge Daytona before technicians could process it for forensic evidence. When investigators from the West Virginia State Police attempted to interview Norman Stephens, he offered minimal cooperation, flatly refused to undergo a polygraph examination, and claimed she called from an undisclosed out-of-state location.

Private investigators later challenged his timeline, discovering indications that he never actually clocked into work on the day Cherice vanished. However, his mystery commuter companion has never been identified by law enforcement, leaving major gaps in the timeline.

Community Response:

The deeply unsettling circumstances surrounding the former high school majorette’s disappearance have cast a long, painful shadow across the close-knit communities of Raleigh County. Local advocates, independent regional historians, and true-crime media platforms continually collaborate to resurrect her profile, ensuring the passage of time does not dim the collective pursuit of truth.

Grassroots awareness networks frequently distribute updated digital bulletins to keep the case alive. They urge individuals who frequented the local industrial park or gym circuits in 1993 to reexamine their memories for any forgotten details.

Family Statements:

For over three decades, the Gwinn family has vehemently rejected any narrative implying that Cherice willingly walked away from her life or abandoned her parents without a word. Her father, Thomas Gwinn, spent the remainder of his life agonizing over her fate, describing his daughter as an outgoing, meticulous perfectionist who was actively seeking a way out of her marriage.

Family members have publicly highlighted that in the days preceding her vanishing, Cherice confided in a close friend regarding severe marital strife. She had already asked if she could move in locally, making a sudden out-of-state disappearance entirely illogical to those who loved her.

Physical Appearance:

Cherice is described as a white female who stood 5’1″ tall and weighed approximately 105 pounds at the time she was last seen. She possessed straight, shoulder-length blonde hair, expressive blue eyes, a light complexion, double-pierced ears, and a distinct scar on her nose.

She required prescription contact lenses for vision and was known for her excellent sense of style. When she vanished, she was last known to be wearing a prominent, one-karat diamond set within a classic gold band.

Current Status:

In 2014, a West Virginia court officially declared Cherice legally dead, allowing authorities to formally transition the active cold case into a suspected homicide investigation. Her complete dental records, fingerprint charts, and DNA profiles remain actively logged within the national clearinghouses of NamUs.

Because felony homicide carries no statute of limitations, state detectives continue to review the file. They treat the case as a solvent mystery waiting for a critical historical witness to finally break their silence.

Contact Information:

If you possess any information regarding the storage or transport of Cherice’s vehicle in the autumn of 1993, or any knowledge regarding the historical construction landscape in Bolt, please contact Crime Stoppers of West Virginia at (304) 255-7867.

You may also relay tips directly to the investigating officers at the West Virginia State Police Beckley Detachment by dialing (304) 647-7600 or (304) 256-6700. Every submission can be handled with absolute anonymity, and verified tips

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