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WCU sophomore charged with murder of her infant daughter

By Lisa Majors-Duff
Law enforcement officers representing Jackson/Macon/SBI Herald Photo by Lisa Majors-Duff

Law enforcement officers representing Jackson and Macon counties, as well as the State Bureau of Investigations, held a press conference on the steps of the old Jackson County Courthouse March 2 to announce the arrest of a Western Carolina University student, who they say murdered her newborn daughter. Christina Marie Fiske, 21, of Cullowhee, was charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse after an infant's body was found at the Macon County Landfill Feb. 28. Those involved in the case are, from left, Jackson County Captain of Detectives David Grant, Detective Linda Sutton, Macon County Captain of Detectives Pat Taylor, District Attorney Charles Hipps, SBI Agent Mark Buchanan and Sgt. Robert Holland of the Macon County's Sheriff's Department. In the background are, from left, Assistant District Attorney Monica Leslie, David Barnes and Charles Moody of the SBI and Jackson County Sheriff Jim Cruzan.

A Western Carolina University sophomore has been charged with the murder of her newborn daughter after the child's body was found at the Macon County Landfill Feb. 28.

Christina Marie Fiske, 21, of Carolina Village Apartments, Cullowhee, was charged with first-degree murder and concealing the birth of a child. She was arrested March 2 in Sylva and was being held on no bond.

A Jackson County grand jury returned true bills of indictment against Fiske Monday on charges of first-degree murder, concealing the birth of a child and felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.

Authorities working on the investigation, including the Macon and Jackson County Sheriff's Departments and the State Bureau of Investigation, released few facts in the case during a press conference in Sylva March 2. They did indicate that they were led to Fiske by a tip "from a concerned citizen."

According to a request for a search warrant, Fiske was interviewed at her apartment on March 3. During that interview she told Detective Linda Sutton that she had been concealing her pregnancy prior to giving birth Feb. 26 in another apartment in the complex, allegedly one rented by her boyfriend, who authorities have not identified.
Christina Marie Fiske

Christina Fiske

 "The child was alive and crying after birth," the document says. "Christina stated she placed her hands on the child's person until the child became silent."

The document further states that "Christina subsequently placed the child's body in a plastic bag and transported it to a trash container in Franklin and disposed of it. Christina stated she transported this child in the trunk of her car."

A preliminary autopsy conducted at Bowman-Gray Medical Center in Winston-Salem showed the 7-pound baby was alive at birth and then intentionally suffocated. Hemorrhaging was noted about the child's neck and chest areas. The child's umbilical cord had been cut.

Fiske's car, a 2000 Ford Focus, was impounded and searched at the Sylva Police Department. Several stained paper towels, tapings from the trunk area and carpet from the trunk were all taken into evidence.

Fiske, who attended Franklin High School, is the daughter of Sam Fiske of Franklin and Lenaire Harrison of Brevard. The 21-year-old reported on an affidavit of indigence that she is not married and earns $600 a month in her job at Ruby Cinema Movie Theater in Franklin. Her expenses included rent, a car payment, food, utilities and credit card debt. Randy Seago of Sylva was appointed to defend her.
"She was your average high school student," said Melissa Hill, a Smoky Mountain High School math teacher who taught Fiske as a sophomore at Franklin in 1995. "She was very conscientious about her grades and polite in class to the other students and teacher."

In his years as the 30th Judicial District attorney, Charles Hipps said this murder case represents the first he can remember involving a newborn. Another similar case was heard in Federal Court last year involving an infant found on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in 1998. Winnie Jumper, the child's mother, was found guity of killing her newborn son and hiding it under a rock, where it was discovered by Cherokee sanitation workers.

A communications major at WCU, Fiske had opportunities to seek assistance while at school.

"We have a variety of resource people available to provide help to students during times of crisis," said WCU Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Bob Caruso. "Those services include confidential counseling and health services for students with educational, personal, psychological or medical concerns. Obviously, since those services are confidential, I could not comment on whether counseling or health services were sought by any student. But we do encourage our students to avail themselves of our support services.

"We are concerned anytime our students find themselves dealing with personal tragedy, and this situation is particularly heart-wrenching," he continued.

Monica Leslie and Alan Leonard are the assistant district attorneys assigned to the case by the state.

Assistant Editor Carey Phillips contributed to this report.

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