What Does the New Search Warrant Reveal About Josh Davis? | Forensic Files

There is a cold case in North Carolina making national headlines [music] because for the first time in more than
20 years, there's been a major development that has everyone talking. A search warrant has been served on a
person of interest. And who this person is or what they do for a living, it is someone no one saw coming.
Hi Crime Junkies, I'm Brianna Whitney and this is a case that I think will continue to make headlines. So I am here
to bring you all the details you need to know [music] about the 2004 homicide of
16-year-old Josh Davis. It's January 2004 in Garner, North Carolina just a few days after New
Year's. 16-year-old Josh Davis is hanging out with his 13-year-old sister Alyssa and his friend Michael at
Michael's place. Now that day, the teens were doing typical teen things. Josh and
Michael are practicing the lyrics to the latest popular rap song, but they were getting ready to move their practice
over to Josh's house which was just a short walk away. Now by the way, in case you're wondering what the number one rap
song was at the time, I looked it up. It was Hey Ya by OutKast. We're not sure what song they were practicing, but just
a little bit of context of the times there. Alyssa was not going to join them. She
was planning to go shopping with a friend. So Alyssa's in the car. She actually passes Josh and Michael on the
side of the road. And when she waves by to them, she has no idea that's the last
time she'd ever see her brother alive. Alyssa wasn't gone long before her dad sends her a Nextel phone message. She
seriously thought it was a joke at first, but what he said wasn't funny. That Josh had been hit by a car and they
were going to the hospital. Truly, she didn't believe him at first, so she finished up her shopping, checked
out and she started to head home. But as the car she was in was turning into the
neighborhood and down their street, Alyssa sees this sea of police lights. Streets are blocked off and there's an
ambulance, and that's when she realized her dad wasn't lying. Something did happen to her brother.
The moment Alyssa gets inside her home is a total blur. She doesn't quite remember who was there or what was said,
but she does remember the call she got from her Nana very vividly because it was the worst kind of call.
Josh had died. And it wasn't just grief that was hitting at first, but a million
questions. I mean, Alyssa had just seen Josh walking down the street and he was with Michael. So, what happened in that
time frame and where was Michael during all of this? Josh's family figured they'd sit down
with him and try to learn anything more at all. Maybe he saw or heard something.
And Michael is at least able to answer a few questions. He tells Josh's family that shortly after they left the house,
he'd realized they forgot that rap CD they were listening to. So, he told Josh, "Hang tight real quick. I'll be
right back." He ran to the house to go get it. He was only gone for a few minutes, but
when he got back, he found Josh lying right near where he left him alone on the side of Hall Boulevard bleeding.
Michael said he didn't see anyone around or hear any car speeding off, and the speed limit right there was 25 mph. So,
it was very slow. The timing just seemed almost unbelievable. But Alyssa said when pressure tested by their family,
Michael's story seemed completely true. And when I spoke with Alyssa, she said that in the aftermath of all of this,
Michael did everything right. He talked to their dad about it all. He was very forthcoming with them. He even
cooperated with police. They genuinely don't believe Michael was involved in this at all and that he genuinely went
back to go get that CD. With Michael unable to shed any light on what happened to Josh, Alyssa and her family
were just hoping someone would come forward with answers. She told me she remembered this giant billboard going
up. $10,000 reward for anyone who knew anything about Josh's hit-and-run accident.
Except, they were about to find out it may not have been [music] an accident at all.
The first time they got to lay eyes on Josh wasn't until his funeral. And Alyssa remembers something specific as
she looked down into this open casket at her brother. She had this thought, "He looks exactly like himself. Like nothing
was wrong." Except there was a small amount of makeup that was on the side of his face. It was covering up a mark.
"Where were all the injuries from being hit by a car?" It just all seemed really
weird. And this is when the first questions began to creep in. Did they have the full story? And was it even a
hit-and-run at all? Their confusion becomes even more validated when they get back Josh's
autopsy report. His family says it shows Josh died from a traumatic hit to the head, right near the temple. And when
they asked law enforcement how this is possible, Alyssa says they were told Josh might have been leaning down and
was possibly clipped by the side mirror. Okay, maybe. But as time went on, his family questioned whether any part of a
car hit him at all. Could it be that someone, or multiple someones, in a car hit Josh with
something instead? If that's the case, this isn't really a hit-and-run. Certainly no accident. That would make
this a planned killing. In the early days of the investigation, that dark thought wasn't even fully
comprehensible to Josh's family. Like, who would possibly want to hurt him? He was a good kid. He was fun, social,
outgoing, had tons of friends. They weren't aware of any enemies. But Alyssa told me that as the days, the
weeks, and the months went on, their family started to get these weird calls and hear ominous rumors that suggested
there may have been another side to her brother she didn't ever see at home. Alyssa was in eighth grade at the time
Josh was killed and while she took some time away from the classroom right after
her brother's death, eventually she did have to go back to school. She told me when she got back a girl came up to her
on campus and said something that shook her. Your brother got what he deserved. She didn't know what that meant, but
here's the thing about Garner, North Carolina. Alyssa told me it's small and everyone knows everyone type of town
which in turn we know means everyone knows everything. Even to this day, she said there's only one high school,
they're finally getting some new sidewalks hoping to maybe eventually get a Trader Joe's. So the point being here
in this small town, people began to talk and if you were there, you were getting
wind of what people were saying which according to Alyssa was this. Rumor was Josh had recently gone to the movies
before his death and gotten in a fight when his family never knew anything about before this. And it made Alyssa
wonder what else did she not know? This turned into more than just kids gossiping at school by the way. People
were actually calling Josh's family at home and making threats. Alyssa had to remove herself from the situation mostly
staying at her friend's house in the years after Josh died, but her little sister Lauren did not have that luxury.
Lauren was only two years old when Josh was killed. So as she grew up, Lauren told me she remembers watching her mom
walk around the house with a pipe wrench terrified because people would call and
say "You're next." or "We know who did it." Now it is possible that those were just cruel teen jokes, but to Josh's
family, they absolutely believed more was [music] at play. And this went on for years. Even though every tip and
rumor was passed on to police, it just seemed like the actual investigation was getting nowhere. Josh's case cycled
through detective after detective [music] and the biggest update the public would get was the occasional
social media post by the police department asking anybody with information to [music] contact them.
And that was it. Until now. Just this year, after more than 20 years [music] without answers, Josh's family
got a call out of the blue from the Gardner PD. They wanted to give them a heads-up that they would be serving a
search warrant related to Josh's case, and more than the fact that this was happening, they wanted to prepare the
family for who the warrant was being served on. This news of the search warrant came to the family [music] in
March 2026. From the family's new case detective, Michael Hammerstein. So, he was the one to also tell them who they
were serving this on. Megan Potter, a police officer in the nearby town of Four Oaks. The fact that
this woman was a police officer was shocking in and of itself. But, question number one for the family was
who is Megan Potter? Josh's family had never heard her name before. She wasn't one of his friends as far as they knew,
and her name hadn't come up in any of the rumors they had heard. Come to find out, she's also 4 years older than Josh
was. So, it seems totally unlikely that they would have had the same social circles. But, desperate for [music]
answers, Josh's family went digging for any connection they could find. Did her name come up anywhere?
And it did. In one place. There in the guestbook [music] from Josh's funeral is Megan Potter's name.
She was there. This detail was odd, and now especially, it felt like it meant something. They just didn't know what.
But, they didn't know what Gardner PD did. And 2025 was not the first time Megan's name had come on their radar.
Because as it turns out, according to the search warrant, a tip about her possible involvement in Josh's homicide
came in all the way back in 2010. Here's what we know. That tip came from Megan Potter's ex-husband. [music] But
we don't know exactly what he said, just that he implicated her in some way. Now,
what they did with that back in 2010 is unclear. There is no mention of action taken back then in the search warrant.
And when we reached out to GPD for comment, they said they can't comment on an ongoing investigation. But we know
that after Detective Hammerstein was assigned the case, he and his team decided to look into it, even 15 years
later. When they talked to the ex-husband, guess what? His story hadn't changed. Police note in the warrant that
his version of things was the exact same now as it was when he called back in 2010.
But guess whose story had changed? Megan's. You see, the search warrant revealed something interesting. Megan's
name actually didn't first come up in 2010. She was on police radar in some way all the way back in 2004,
the same year Josh died. We only know this because they make note that her statement to police in 2025 was
different than her statement in 2004. Now, I don't have a ton of details about what either of those statements were.
Actually, we know almost nothing right now about her 2004 statement. But the warrant did reveal some interesting
tidbits about what she told police just recently. They called up Megan Potter in
September of 2025. And during that interview, Megan tells detectives off the bat she knew her
ex-husband had implicated her in the homicide. Kind of a weird thing to say off the bat, but they go on questioning
her, and they ask her if she could come in and do an interview in person. >> [music]
>> And she's like, "No." And not just like, "No, not right this second. It's about
time." Detectives note that Megan becomes uncooperative with attempts to talk to her again. She eventually tells
them she will only do an interview at her own police department in Four Oaks, which is not how that works. Police now
describe her as a suspect in the homicide according to the search warrant, and suspects don't get to
decide when and where they are interviewed. When they tell her as much, her response is, "I'll think about it
and I'll call you back." But, she didn't. In fact, she stopped responding to all of their attempts to
reach her. Texts, messages, she ghosted them. So, detectives start thinking outside
the box and they get this idea and run an audit on her CJ Leads account. Now, I'd never heard of CJ Leads before.
Turns out, it's a police database that includes info on people like [music] addresses, criminal records, other
contact info. It is strictly to be used for law enforcement purposes only, like for cases you are working only. But, lo
and behold, the audit on Megan Potter's CJ Leads account shows she tried to run her ex-husband through it right after
detectives tried to contact her for follow-up this year. Investigators wrote in the warrant that there was no law
enforcement reason for her to do that. But, honestly, thank god she did that because that's what gave them enough
info for the search warrant to search her home and all the electronics that could reveal more. They served that
search warrant on March 31st and seized an iPhone and a Dell laptop as potential
evidence. What they found on that phone and laptop, we don't know yet. Now, I want to be clear. As of now, Megan
Potter has not been charged with any crime in the case. Based on what's in the search warrant, we don't know what
role she may or may not have had in Josh's homicide, if any [music] at all. The Four Oaks Police Department told a
local news station, Megan Potter is on admin leave pending the outcome of this criminal investigation. I reached out to
the department to ask them more about [music] that. They didn't get back to me. I also called Megan Potter directly
to ask her, but she didn't return my call either. What I can tell you is this. I did talk
to Detective Hammerstein on the phone and he [music] says, "This investigation is absolutely active and ongoing. This
is not a cold case anymore. Things are definitely happening behind the scenes." [music]
It's the happiest news Josh's sisters have had about their brother in so [music]
long. Alyssa only got 13 years with him, but she has many memories to reminisce and
smile about. She was telling me about these carefree sunny days on the trampoline doing crazy tricks. You know,
the kid stuff. And she was smiling talking about it. >> [music] >> But while Alyssa has many memories with
Josh, Lauren has just one. Her brother sneaking her out of the window so they could sit outside and
watch the cars go [music] by together. Remember, she was just two years old and that memory replays over and over in her
mind. it so vividly. But that's it. >> [music] >> That's all she can remember of Josh.
Alyssa and Lauren believe in Detective Hammerstein and his team [music] that justice is close for their big brother
and that the truth is on the brink of coming [music] out. If you have any tips about the homicide of Josh Davis, please
call Garner Police Investigations at 919-772-8810 with [music] attention to Detective Hammerstein or
you can email him directly. >> [music] >> You can also email us here at Crime Junkie and Audiochuck at
tips@audiochuck.com. Crime Junkies, we will keep you up-to-date on the investigation into the
homicide [music] of Josh Davis. So, make sure to subscribe and hit the bell icon for
additional updates on this [music] and other cases our team is covering.

For more than two decades, the death of 16-year-old Josh Davis was considered one of North Carolina’s most haunting unsolved cases. On January 3, 2004, Josh was found critically injured along a road in Garner, North Carolina, just outside Raleigh.

At first, investigators believed he had been the victim of a hit-and-run. But his family never believed the story was that simple. Now, more than 20 years later, a major development has reignited the investigation.

In this special Crime Junkie look into the headlines, breaking news reporter Briana Whitney breaks down the latest developments in the homicide of Josh Davis, including a newly revealed search warrant that has drawn national attention.

You’ll hear what happened to Josh Davis on January 3, 2004 in Garner, North Carolina, why investigators began questioning whether this was ever a traffic accident, the rumors and theories that have surrounded the case for decades, the 2025 and 2026 investigative developments that reopened long-standing questions, and why a current law enforcement officer has become the focus of a newly publicized search warrant

For years, Josh’s family searched for answers while the case remained largely silent. Then, in 2026, investigators executed a search warrant connected to the case, signaling that detectives believe there is still important evidence to uncover.

This episode explores the timeline of Josh’s final day, witness accounts and longstanding community rumors, newly disclosed court documents, the challenges of investigating a decades-old homicide, and the determination of Josh’s sisters to finally learn the truth. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrimeJunkiePod Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

Follow Ashley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ash_flowers TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleyflowers.af/

Check out these other great crime channels: @annieelise Track Meet Murder: The Full Backstory, Rumors & Details of Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnLEOB7fPuY @kallmekris The Creepiest Encounters On Reddit… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpy1T_ETIdw @rottenmangopod 17 Yr Old Mackenzie Shirilla Kills BF & Friend In Car Crash - ALL Her Private Snapchat Messages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpiLeXZVMlg @christinaarandall Ex Boyfriend Exposes MORE About Taylor Parker From Maternal Instinct https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uberKKXkJA

Brief Summary

New evidence in the 2004 homicide of Josh Davis implicates police officer Megan Potter, reigniting the investigation after 20 years.

Key points

Alyssa's Last Goodbye. Alyssa waves goodbye to her brother, unaware it would be their last moment together.
Rumors and Threats. In a small town, rumors about Josh's death lead to threats against his family.
Major Development in Cold Case. After 20 years, a search warrant has been served on a person of interest.
Megan Potter's Shocking Connection. The search warrant reveals a police officer's name linked to Josh's case.
Hope for Justice. Alyssa and Lauren believe justice is close for their brother after new developments.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is a case that I think will continue to make headlines.

Introduction to the case of Josh Davis.

0:20WatchJun 24, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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