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More than two decades after Garner teen Joshua Davis’ unsolved killing, investigators appear to have identified a third suspect, according to a newly filed search warrant.
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The News & Observer reported in May that a Four Oaks police officer was a suspect in the case; that officer was placed on paid administrative leave from the department. That update came months after the Garner Police Department called for the public’s help in solving the case.
Investigators have also theorized that a romantic rival killed the 16-year-old Davis. The newly identified suspect was a close friend of the romantic rival’s at the time of the killing, according to the new search warrant.
Davis was found dead Jan. 6, 2004, from a blow to the head, The N&O previously reported. Investigators once theorized he was killed in a hit-and-run, but now believe he was hit with a blunt object like a baseball bat, search warrants indicate.
Davis had last been seen alive minutes before, walking from his mother’s house to his father’s house to play basketball with a friend. The killing occurred when his friend left to grab a CD from home, police said.
The information in the search warrant about the close friend of the romantic rival was first reported by CBS17.
The N&O is not naming any of the suspects because they have not been charged with a crime as of Friday afternoon.
In a May 8 interview, a witness reportedly told investigators the romantic rival came to the friend’s house “very stressed” the night of the killing.
“Witness A stated that Suspect 1 [the romantic rival] was very stressed and said he hurt someone,” a detective wrote in a search warrant.
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The friend previously underwent a polygraph examination in 2004, but police renewed their focus on his potential involvement in Davis’ death in August, after he was arrested following a police chase, the warrant states.
“[The second suspect] stated that he had ‘been hearing stuff about it’ and stated there had been a podcast,” the warrant says. “He stated he had been receiving threats regarding the case. He also stated he has been questioned by acquaintances regarding the case.”
When officers searched his phone, they found conversations and internet searches about the killing, according to the search warrant. That included an April 14 warning from an unidentified person about detectives reaching out to speak with them.
Records indicate the Four Oaks police officer had been a person of interest in the case from the start, including a 2010 tip from their spouse after the officer allegedly confessed to being present for the killing, The N&O previously reported.
That confession came after reportedly watching a TV show episode about Davis’ death, which prompted the officer to tell their spouse they’d been in the car that night with two men who struck Davis with a baseball bat as they drove by, according to search warrants. The men are not identified in court documents, and it’s not clear if either one of them are the other suspects currently under investigation.
It’s not clear what prompted Garner police to reopen the case when they did, but search warrants indicate they began reinterviewing the Four Oaks officer in September 2025 and their now-ex-spouse in November 2025. Detectives attempted to interview the officer again in January and February but were unsuccessful, according to the warrants.
Meanwhile, the Four Oaks officer allegedly searched their ex-spouse’s name in their police leads database after being contacted by SBI agents for an interview, search warrants say. The officer was subsequently placed on paid leave April 16, WRAL reported.
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 5:22 PM.