'Where the Crawdads Sing' Author Delia Owen WANTED For Questioning in This Crime
Delia Owens, the author of the novel "Where the Crawdads Sing," is reportedly wanted due to her potential knowledge of a murder case that happened decades ago.
Ahead of the movie adaptation of the hit novel, Owens' name appeared in several news outlets as she and her family have been wanted for questioning in the 1996 shooting incident.
The Atlantic revealed on Monday that Zambian officials are interested to file charges for the killing of a suspected poacher in Zambia. The incident was also captured on a video.
The documentary on the ABC News program "Turning point" broadcasts the video evidence. However, the victim and shooter's identities were never publicized.
A body related to the crime was also never found.
Local authorities now express their desire to still question Owens, her husband Mark, and their son Christopher as they believe the family has information about the murder case.
"There is no statute of limitations on murder in Zambia. They are all wanted for questioning in this case, including Delia Owens," Lillian Shawa-Siyuni, Zambia's director of public prosecutions, told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg.
For what it's worth, the author initially worked in animal conservation before focusing on writing novels. She particularly helped to oversee anti-poaching efforts in Africa in the 1980s and 1990s.
Journalist Meredith Vieira and ABC News shadowed their work at that time, but they also captured someone fatally shooting a poacher. The cameraman, Chris Everson, also recorded the victim lying on the ground.
"Mark, Delia and Christopher Owens are still wanted for questioning related to the killing of the alleged poacher, as well as other possible criminal activities in North Luangwa," The Atlantic went on.
Who Killed the Man?
In 2010, Everson told Goldberg that it was Owens' son who shot and killed the man. The author, however, denied the claims and said that people confused Christopher with the cameraman since they have the same first name.
Meanwhile, Vieira noted that the ABC crew received permission to come with the patrol after agreeing not to identify anyone involved once a shooting occurred.
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Owens has not released a new statement regarding the reemergence of the issue, but they were put under a bad spotlight after the family moved back to the US when the controversial murder video was aired.
"We don't know anything about it. The only thing Mark ever did was throw firecrackers out of his plane, but just to scare poachers, not to hurt anyone," the author once said.
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