The Latest: Inn owner says employees are devastated by death
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The Latest on the death of an employee at a scenic North Carolina inn (all times local):
5:15 p.m.
The owner of a scenic North Carolina inn says his workers are devastated after one of the employees was charged with killing another one.
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Owner Bruce O'Connell says there are grief counselors for his approximately 100 employees after their co-worker was found dead on Tuesday. He said he has owned and operated the Pisgah Inn since 1979.
O'Connell said that the group is tight-knit and that many travel around to work seasonal jobs at resorts year-round.
Federal court documents filed Thursday say Derek Shawn Pendergraft faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of a female cook. The 20-year-old faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
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Sara Ellis, 29, was reported missing Tuesday night. Authorities say she was found several hours later near a path to employee housing.
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1:10 p.m.
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An employee at a scenic North Carolina inn has been charged with killing a co-worker whose body was found this week along a path near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Federal court documents filed Thursday say Derek Shawn Pendergraft faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of a female cook at the Pisgah Inn. The 20-year-old faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
Sara Ellis, 29, was reported missing Tuesday night, according to an FBI news release. Authorities say she was found several hours later near a path to employee housing.
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Pendergraft was in federal custody, and he was schedule to appear in court Thursday.
The federal public defender's office said it didn't have information on whether Pendergraft has an attorney.
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10:15 a.m.
An employee's death at a North Carolina inn along the famed Blue Ridge Parkway is being investigated as a homicide after federal agents found signs of foul play.
An FBI news release says 29-year-old Sara Ellis was found dead Tuesday night off a path to Pisgah Inn employee housing. She was reported missing several hours earlier by a manager. A path to staff accommodation leads up a wooden staircase and through foliage, according to the hotel website.
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The Seminole, Florida, resident had worked as a cook since May at the inn that's run privately under a National Park Service contract. The website says it offers seasonal employment April to October.
The inn at a 5,000-foot (1.5 kilometers) elevation was named best national park lodge by USA Today readers in 2015.