Chilling new 911 recordings are shedding light on the final moments before the murder of 34-year-old Duke Hospital nurse Auriel Lowe, whose death has left her family and community in deep grief. Prosecutors say Lowe was killed by her boyfriend, 31-year-old Christopher Whitley, in September before he entered a tense standoff with police in Durham, North Carolina.
Lowe’s father, Paul Lowe, spoke to CBS 17 last month about the devastating loss of his daughter. “All the words you’ve heard a thousand times, they’re so true,” he said. “You’re just numb. You don’t know what to feel for a while. It’s a unique kind of pain losing a child.”
According to Durham police, officers were called to an apartment complex on Laurel Springs Drive in south Durham after receiving multiple 911 calls about the incident. Newly released audio reveals the harrowing details of what happened before Whitley was taken into custody.
In one of the calls obtained by Raleigh News & Observer a woman identifying herself as Whitley’s friend can be heard frantically reporting what she had just witnessed over FaceTime. “This man murdered his girlfriend,” the caller told dispatchers. “He was on FaceTime. He confessed to murder and then showed me her body.”
The woman, who said she did not know the exact address, gave investigators Whitley’s phone number. Law enforcement was able to trace the location of the suspect by pinging his phone signal. “He knows I’m the only one that knows,” the caller said. “I have a phone number. He’s at her house. I don’t know if you should call or if you all should just track it.”
Lowe, 34, had just begun “her dream job” in nurse anesthesiology at Duke University Hospital — a “path she worked tirelessly to achieve” before she was “tragically murdered” by Whitley inside her own home, her loved ones say in a GoFundMe description.
Officers quickly set up a perimeter around the apartment complex, rifles drawn, as they worked to secure the scene. After a prolonged standoff, Whitley surrendered without incident and was taken into custody. Prosecutors have charged Whitley with first-degree murder. Police have not disclosed an official motive, but family members believe the couple met on a dating app and had been in a relationship before the killing.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the Durham medical community, where Lowe was described as a compassionate and dedicated nurse loved by her colleagues and patients. For her family, the pain remains overwhelming. “Auriel cared deeply about helping others,” her father said. “Now, we just want justice for her.” Whitley remains in custody as the investigation continues.