Rowan County Sheriff seeks leads in unsolved murder case

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — After a request from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has issued a $25,000 reward for information in the unsolved murder of Michael James Mitchke.

On the evening of August 21, 2022, Mitchke was found dead in his camper on St Peter’s Church Road after witnesses called 911 to report seeing the camper on fire.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office requested that an autopsy be done on Mitchke’s body, something that wasn’t originally going to be performed. That autopsy, conducted four days after Mitchke’s death, revealed he died from gunshot wounds, prompting a homicide investigation.

The delay in autopsy caused Mitchke’s wife, Rosa Mitchke, to contact legislators in the House of Representatives to push for a law requiring autopsies in fire-related deaths, named “The Michael Mitchke F.I.N.E. Law (Fire Involvement Necessitates Examination).

If made law, this bill would ensure all fire fatalities in North Carolina are autopsied.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office supports the bill, citing benefits in not only assisting in the determination of the origin and cause of fires, but also giving families more definitive answers in the deaths of their loved ones.

The murder of Michael Mitchke is believed to be related to the July 20, 2022, murder of David Kenneth Land, which occurred just a few miles away from the Mitchke property.

The sheriff’s office recovered evidence at both scenes linking the two murders. Leads in the cases could soon provide enough evidence to solve them, but investigators are urging anyone with additional information to call and provide tips.

The Governor’s reward is in addition to $10,000 offered by the Mitchke family and $10,000 by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in the Mitchke case for a total reward of $45,000.00. Tips can be directed to Lt. Ryan Barkley at 704-216-8711 or Rowan County Crime Stoppers.