Four North Carolina Family Members Charged in Connection With Murder of Missing Lexington Woman
LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA — Four members of a North Carolina family have been charged in connection with the disappearance and killing of Nancy Bunly, a young mother who went missing more than a year ago.
Family Members Face Serious Charges
On Wednesday, three members of the Lam family — Vienchan Lam, Van Lam, and Jonathan Lam — appeared in Davidson County court, where they were formally charged with concealment of an unnatural death, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to conceal a death.
All three are being held on $1 million bonds and have been ordered to surrender their passports and avoid contact with one another.
Meanwhile, Ricky Lam, Nancy’s boyfriend and the father of her child, is facing a murder charge in her case.
Murder Charges Tied to Two Cases
Ricky Lam has also been charged in Guilford County with the murder of Amber Schimmelpfenning, another missing woman whose remains were found last week. Prosecutors confirmed his Davidson County murder charge is directly related to Bunly’s disappearance in September 2024.
Nancy Bunly and Ricky Lam had been living together and had recently welcomed a child at the time she vanished.
Search for Bunly Continues
Investigators with the Lexington Police Department confirmed they are still searching for Bunly’s remains. Police conducted searches at the Lam family home in Salisbury as part of the ongoing investigation.
Bunly’s relatives filled the courtroom during Wednesday’s hearing. Her cousin, Davy Song-Koy, described the emotional toll the case has taken on the family.
“Just to go through it again, it feels like these wounds are opening up again,” she said. “A lot of sadness, a lot of frustration, and a new type of rage that is brewing in my heart that is difficult to explain because this is not your everyday situation.”
Song-Koy remembered the close bond she shared with Nancy, including their monthly tradition they called “cousins night.”
Community Support
Search volunteer Vernon Shurtz, who has been helping the Bunly family since December, said he believes justice is near.
“Hopefully, one of the three will step forward and say, ‘Here’s what happened, and here’s where Nancy is,’” Shurtz said.
Family members of both Bunly and Schimmelpfenning say they are united in their demand for justice.
“We all want justice for both Amber and Nancy,” Song-Koy said. “At the end of the day, when this is all done, I don’t want her to just be known as the girl who went missing from Lexington. I want her to be known as Nancy Bunly.”
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