Father of Wake County woman found dead in wooded area breaks silence

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A heartbroken father broke his silence and spoke to ABC11 after his daughter was found dead in a wooded area in Wake County.

Tyra Bennett's body was found off Camley Avenue near Blue Ridge Road on Monday, and on Wednesday the man charged with her murder appeared before a judge for the first time.

Investigators found Bennett in the morning after someone reported finding a body in the woods. Noa Najee Lorenzetti, 26, was arrested on Tuesday morning and charged with murder. He's being held at the Wake County Detention Center without bond.

"She's a people person, outgoing, you know, just a good one to get along with," said Tysean Bennett, Tyra's father.

He said Tyra had been going through a bit of a rough patch, and her two children, a 4-year-old daughter, and an 18-month-old son, had been staying with him as she worked to establish a permanent residence.

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"She's been going through a few situations. But ... she didn't deserve, you know, this situation that happened to her," he said.

Tysean Bennett said the entire family has been leaning on each other heavily these past few days, and he's still working to learn more about Lorenzetti and his relationship with Tyra. He said he had never heard the suspect's name nor seen him before his court appearance.

"She's not here, so I'm just here in support of my daughter. And like I say, the main thing, we just want justice to be served," he said after Lorenzetti's court appearance.

Lorenzetti remains locked up pending his next court date, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 29. He will be represented by a lawyer in the Capital Defender's Office.