OPINION: North Carolina Murder Shocks Industry

Being the news junkies that many of us in this business are, we are always scanning the wires. It was Tuesday that we found a very tragic tale in North Carolina - the death of Sallie Rohrbach.

The 44-year-old insurance investigator from the North Carolina Department of Insurance had been missing since last week after traveling to Charlotte to conduct an audit of an insurance agency owner. Not hearing from her, family and friends became worried towards the end of last week. It was Tuesday that their worst fears were realized.

Rohrbach's body was found Tuesday close to the North Carolina border near Fort Mill, S.C. What made the case even more shocking is that police say Charlotte insurance agency owner Michael Howell allegedly killed Rohrbach.

Howell, owner of the Dilworth Insurance Agency, was arrested on Monday and made an initial court appearance Tuesday. He is charged with first-degree murder. Authorities reportedly were led to Rohrbach's body by some conversation with Howell, who could face the death penalty if convicted.

Howell's reported cooperation with authorities leads one to wonder if he was looking for a plea deal by leading police to her body and thus possibly escaping the death penalty for life in prison if convicted?

Now before we get too far ahead of ourselves here, Howell is entitled to a trial. That being said, if police evidence is as strong as some reports seem to indicate, this could be an open and shut case.

Along with reported cooperation from Howell, authorities reportedly were able to connect evidence found in both Rohrbach's car and Howell's vehicle to tie him to her murder.

Rohrbach, who reportedly last made contact with her husband via email on Tuesday, May 13, was reportedly last seen in Charlotte last Wednesday afternoon. Her state-owned car was found on Sunday approximately seven blocks from the insurance agency.

Among the many tragedies for the Rohrbach family in this case is that Sallie Rohrbach was filling in for another investigator when she went to Charlotte last week.

Her husband reportedly became worried on Friday when she did not return home as planned. The North Carolina Department of Insurance contacted Tim Rohrbach, asking if he had seen or heard from his wife. Two days later, authorities found her vehicle and the bad news was delivered on Tuesday.

An autopsy was scheduled for today, and police have not disclosed how they believe Rohrbach died. If Howell is responsible for her death, hopefully the justice system will punish him accordingly.

If, and we emphasize if, Howell killed Rohrbach because she was going to possibly discover he was guilty of scamming customers, his possible issues with the law for insurance fraud would have been much smaller than they potentially are now, with a possible murder rap hanging over his head.

"We are devastated that all hope is lost, but we also find a sense of closure in knowing that we can lay to rest our dear friend and colleague with the dignity and respect she deserves," Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Insurance, said in a statement.

While their job can be challenging and very time consuming, we bet most insurance investigators never expect to have their life on the line when investigating an individual and/or their business.

In this instance, Sallie Rohrbach likely left her home last week figuring she'd do her job and return home safe and sound. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

So what do you think? If you are in the insurance industry and have an opinion on this story, please feel free to respond.