Arrests made in killing of woman found in car in the Catawba River, police say

Police on Wednesday arrested a man and a woman in connection with the killing of a 61-year-old woman found dead in a car submerged in the Catawba River.

The body of Delia Aldridge Rick was discovered May 5 after police responded to a report of a submerged vehicle off South New Hope Road at the Seven Oaks bridge, The Charlotte Observer previously reported..

Police charged 48-year-old James Michael Rick with first-degree murder and also were looking for 51-year-old Melinda Kay Robinson, initially described as a person of interest in the case. She was described as an acquaintance of the Ricks.

Police arrested James Rick and Robinson at a home in the 1000 block of Old Carolina Mining Road outside Stanley in Gaston County, according to a Gaston County Police Department news release Wednesday afternoon.

Robinson was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, police said.

Nearby East Gaston High School was placed on “a temporary perimeter lockdown as a precaution,” according to the release.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Gaston County Police Department at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000.