For any of you who enjoy true crime stories, I urge you to check out Still a Mystery on the ID channel. It features stories about people who died under mysterious circumstances. Last week, Discovery's Still a Mystery aired a segment called North Carolina Unsolved. The show featured two stories from North Carolina. I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about Brandon Embry's death. And none of my thoughts include suicide or thoughts of self-harm.
The first half of the program covered a police officer who allegedly committed suicide by shooting herself in the back of the head. The second story involved Brandon Embry, a U.S. Navy veteran, who allegedly beat himself to death after contracting pneumonia. Sarah Lee, Brandon's mother, was the subject of my original podcast interview.
Discovery interviewed me about the case that was presented in the episode, and I provided my opinion. I believe someone killed Brandon, and the police did not investigate the case as a homicide. Brandon's mother, Sarah Lee, had planned to take him out for lunch on his birthday. He never responded.
The police were called to check on his welfare after he didn't answer the door. What they discovered must have horrified them. Brandon’s apartment was destroyed while he was badly beaten and near death. From the photographs of Brandon's residence, it looks like a battlefield. The dwelling had excessive damage and someone had ripped out the commode. Also, blood-stained dark hair stuck to the wall.
Brandon's hair was blonde, so the hair didn't belong to him. The photos show Brandon may have ripped out hair from his attacker as he fought for his life. In the days leading up to Brandon's death, a neighbor told Sarah about a mysterious, dark-haired man arguing with Brandon. One woman claimed that Brandon was dating her at the time he died.
She was unknown to the family and appeared to know something about Brandon's death. Though she spoke to the police, they took no action. Maybe she placed herself in the center of the investigation for attention.
Sarah also spoke with medical staff who treated Brandon at the hospital. Sarah told me that a nurse said it was impossible for Brandon to have inflicted those injuries upon himself. I believe someone murdered Brandon Embry.
I have seen pictures of Brandon that were taken before his death and agree with the unnamed nurse's opinion. His body was covered with dark bruises that didn't appear to be self-inflicted. Unfortunately, the investigation may have already been doomed from the beginning. Sarah noted no one secured the crime scene. No explanation was given for the dark bloody hair or the man seen arguing with Brandon.
According to Brandon's family, someone may have even tried to poison him. No one is about to convince them he killed himself. In their minds, someone killed Brandon for unknown reasons.
Who killed the young military veteran?
Many questions remain unanswered in this case. Brandon also didn't seem to have any enemies or a plausible reason anyone would want to kill him. Based on the photographs, I don't see how anyone could rule this death anything other than a homicide or at least an unknown cause of death. In addition, I don't think law enforcement considered the opinion of the medical staff who treated Brandon. I'm not even sure if anyone interviewed them.
As of now, Law enforcement has closed this case. In the absence of additional evidence, authorities will not reopen the case. However, Brandon's family has continued investigating on their own. As a military veteran, Brandon tried to navigate his life like a sailor. His family will continue seeking answers.