The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office stated on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that a call about “suspicious activity” on the 1200 block of Blackberry Ridge Drive in High Point ended up triggering a homicide case and it led to an arrest in a matter of days.
The Office reported that deputies were dispatched at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. After multiple interviews and an extensive search of the area, investigators located a crime scene and collected evidence.
Detectives soon tied the scene to a missing-person report for 36-year-old Amber Marie Schimmelpfenning, who was last seen at approximately midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Despite wide search efforts, she wasn’t found – and the case escalated into a combined missing person/homicide investigation.
Working with the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office, investigators obtained warrants for 40-year-old Ricky Lam on three felony charges: first-degree murder, concealment/failure to report a death, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
With assistance from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, Lam was served with those warrants on Sunday, Sept. 14, while he was already in custody at the Davidson County Detention Center on unrelated charges.
He is being held without bond.
The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing and no additional details will be released at this time.
Detectives are asking for help from anyone who may know more about Schimmelpfenning’s death, the location of her champagne-colored Chevrolet Avalanche with North Carolina plate VHA-5320, or the whereabouts of her remains.
Tips can be made to Guilford County Crimestoppers at 336-373-1000 or to Detective A. Miller at 336-641-5966.
