unsolved murders in greenwood, sc

They combed around the Georgetown Apartments for most of the night, until the lack of light eventually led to them turning it around. When the police finally arrived they found all three of the victims in a utility room in the back of the bank. They sent it off for continued testing at the University of South Carolina, where a forensic anthropologist was able to tell investigators that the skull belonged "to a six-to-eight-year-old African American.". Detectives will re-interview witnesses and relatives of victims to try and find any new leads. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. They all lived in housing close to the highway in-question, and they were all abducted from one location and led to another. You may remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward. However, no calls were received and the real investigation into her disappearance began. Map Browse By State. However, they were not positively identified until 1998, ten years after she vanished. Does it not bother you, as it does me, that our community, with a few exceptions, seems to be showing little aggressive concern over the mysterious disappearance of one of our children, Kia Logan? Police would find out what happened to this little girl over the years, but it would take time, advancements in DNA technology, and the persistence of dedicated investigators. Link said Maj. Hugh Butler, who oversees the detectives division, said officers are making progress with the evidence they have, but there is no new information detectives can release right now. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. Another witness suggested it could have been a drive-by shooting. Gunshots were heard on Pearl Street near Osborne Avenue. We won't share it with anyone else. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. SLED - South Carolina Law Enforcement Division What happened to little Jeremy? Anyone with information on any of Greenwoods homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. Greenwood, SC Area Cold Cases | SpotCrime An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The sun was beginning to set, and this eight-year old climbed onto her bike to head back home. Police and prosecutors seemed certain at the time of this indictment - November 6th, 2002 - that Charles Hampton was responsible for the abduction and murder of Malakia Zali Logan. But there were also nude photographs of women - including images of his then-girlfriend - and a pornographic magazine named "Stroke Off Tales.". Online"10 Books to Cozy Up With This December"PopSugar A popular sorority girl. Kia was dead. Rally for Greenwood unsolved murders | WSPA 7NEWS The only inconsistencies in the cases were the different times and days on which the abductions occurred, as well as the fact each victim cited a different vehicle being involved. They wanted to keep their options option, should more evidence be found against him, so they didn't want him to go free and then lose any chance at a prosecutor under double jeopardy laws. However, with DNA testing being in its infancy, it would be years before they could definitively test the skull for forensic proof. Winds light and variable. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. In the past 21 years the departments digital records system goes back, there were 55 murders reported to the police. Between 1995 and 1996, the states of Georgia and South Carolina began investigating a series of sexual assaults that occurred along a specific interstate. Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. 1-888-CRIME SC (1-888-274-6372) That was when police announced that they were looking for two men, who had been seen in the vicinity of the Georgetown apartment complex late Sunday afternoon. On May 18, 1988, police released a statement to the public, which informed residents that two men were seen in the vicinity of the apartment complex on the afternoon Kia went missing. After 11'000 days, 30 years and 29 of those years on death row, Edward Lee Elmore was freed in 2012. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Greenwood is 1,836 to 1. 8 Infamous Unsolved Mysteries In SC - OnlyInYourState Lawyer Shot After Wife and Son Were Killed Had Been Pushed Out of Law No closure. GREENWOOD, S.C. Cody Hawkins, 24, was shot and killed May 19 about 2:50 a.m. Police were beginning to become certain that Hampton had simply been lying to them in order to obtain special privileges: such as trips outside of jail, meals, coffee, and cigarettes. 1)The only theory in the case is that Charles Wade Hampton is the person who abducted and murder Kia. Perez took police to another man lying on a concrete pad behind an apartment. As the hunter walked along a pasture fence, he stumbled upon a small object resembling a human skull. Low 44F. They tried to use the dental records and skull reconstruction techniques available to them, in an effort to determine if the skull was Kia's, but nothing was positively confirmed. His mother, who lives in New York, hasn't heard anything about the case for a long time. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ By this point, her family had begun to fear the worst. Jessica, a pretty little girl with brown hair and sparkling brown eyes went to bed on June 5, 1986, along with her two sisters. On May 16, 1988, approximately 75 people, including citizen volunteers, conducted another search of the area around the apartment complex, aided by helicopters provided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, also known as SLED. Since that time two ponds have been drained, searches have been conducted, and a serial killer (who would have been a teenager at that time) has been interviewed all to no avail. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency. The man was covered in blood, and Perez made the shape of a gun with his hand to show police that he and the other man had been shot. Somewhere out there is someone who knows something about each one of these mysteries and it is up to us to not let them grow cold. This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. It is the yin and yang; balance in all things. He spoke about the skull as well, stating about his communication with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office: "We were in contact with them yesterday and we will be in contact with them again today. As the years pass, the mystery just intensifies. All six victims had a similar look and profile, with all living close to the highway, and they were all sexually assaulted before being abandoned in a public area, bar one, who was not assaulted and later dropped off at a gas station, where she called for help. "We're also looking for a faded dark blue or black Monte Carlo, a mid-70's model. Advertisement Investigators with the Greenwood Police. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. "I hope wherever she (Kia) is, she's safe and alive and she'll be home soon. However, this was also when he stopped cooperating with authorities and recanted all of his prior confessions. Here, the skull would be confirmed as belonging to Kia Logan, with the FBI forensic investigators theorizing that Kia had originaly been killed in Greenwood County and then later dumped in Newberry County. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. Malakia Logan Unresolved Malakia Logan Two years before the disappearance of the Millbrook Twins, and six years before Tiffany Nelson went missing, another African American girl went missing about an hour north - in a small town called Greenwood, South Carolina. He lifted his shirt and officers saw Perez had two gunshot wounds on his right side. Friends were celebrating the warm weather by swimming in the apartment pools, kids were playing outside among others their age, and families were barbecuing and picnicking in the community areas. It had been nearly five years since the original indictment was filed, accusing him of the abduction and murder of Kia Logan. I'm not the first to ask that question and so many more than me want to know the answer. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. He included details, some of which convinced police that he had involvement, but others they viewed skeptically. Low 44F. Those with information regarding the case can contact the Greenwood County Sheriffs Office at 864-942-8600 or the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at 803-737-9000. However, three - which took place in the middle of this crime spree - took place on a Thursday. According to investigators, theyd managed to uncover strong evidence linking Hampton to Kias murder, including a version of events that included details only someone involved would know, which was enough for a Greenwood County grand jury to indict him on the charges. At this point, police were convinced it belonged to Kia, but were unable to positively conclude this, despite using dental records and the skull reconstruction techniques made available to them. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. In 1993, the skull was sent to the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC for DNA testing, but the results were inconclusive. "Normally there would be a family get-together in Saluda. All these cases are active. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. One of those cases was Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. Coroner IDs man killed in Greenwood shooting, Greenwood police identify suspect in Taggart Avenue slaying, Father of firsts: Man's life is a walk through Black history in Greenwood, Greenwood man gets 23-year sentence in death of 18-month-old, Calhoun Falls man faces federal drug count, PTC Foundation lacing up sneakers for Spring Forward 5K, Pi Day Lecture at the Arts Center of Greenwood, EAA and AMA sponsors Build and Fly project. The sunny atmosphere from just a few days prior had evaporated. Is it twisted thinking? Stabbed Can't we show at least as much concern for the fate of a child? And, if his father was a physician in Canada, wouldn't he have been looking for them? On this Sunday afternoon, in the middle of May, all seemed to be well. When I drove up, and looked at that bike in the parking lot, I had a gut feeling something wasn't right and I called Riley at home. He was a former Department of Transportation employee, who lived in Clarke County, Georgia, and worked at the rest stop at Hard Labor Creek State Park as a maintenance man. Kia and her sister, Renee, were playing with some friends on the basketball court, when Kia decided to turn in at around 8:30 PM. From video footage they have been able to piece together that the car was a red Oldsmobile Alero made between 1999 and 2003. He had been handcuffed, bound with duct tape, and shot in the head. You have permission to edit this article. The sketch came from the witness sightings of the second person-of-interest, who had been driving the dark mid-70's model Monte Carlo. At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. Three years later, in 1996, Newberry County investigators asked a private genetics lab in North Carolina to perform mitochondrial DNA testing, using DNA obtained from Kias parents, which suggested the skull did, in fact, belong to Kia, a fact that was confirmed upon the skull being sent to the FBI lab in Washington in 1998. Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. Hampton pleaded not guilty to the charges and immediately recanted his confession, just as hed done in previous cases. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. "Cold cases" isn't the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his department's unsolved homicides. It happened May 15, 1988, somewhere between the small park that was just 300 yards away from the apartment complex and her door. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had responded to the incident and originally stayed the night, continued to feel a personal connection to the story. This was in 1996, where he plead guilty to having drilled a hole into a womens restroom at a Georgia rest stop and was sentenced to five years. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. Murdaugh undergoes cross-examination in his own murder trial. Officers spoke with several witnesses who described the vehicle the shooters were in, but have been unable to identify any suspects. James and Margaret Barnes walked into the bank together just after 1 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. the panic button had been pushed. It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". Set in the middle of Greenwood itself, the reward fund started with a $2000 donation in her name. South Carolina murderers list | Murderpedia All of these cases are still open and being investigated when or if leads become available. While some descriptions of this suspect varied - such as at least one of the girls calling the suspect "fat in his tummy" and the perpetrator's hair color varying - these details were all universally agreed upon. Then at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Greenwood police found Ramsey sitting on the steps outside his Thornbrook Court apartment with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head. It happened around 9:15 p.m. at a home. An unsolved murder. In the afternoons you see small children running and playing, riding skateboards, that kind of thing. Soon, children began playing outside of the Georgetown apartments once again, Kia's disappearance becoming an outlier to a safe community. By Thursday, May 19th, the mood in the Georgetown apartment complex had changed dramatically. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF Officers spoke to a witness who said they were near Hawkins when he was shot. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years. Police spoke with about 20 people in the area, but few had anything to report. A little after nine o'clock that evening, Kia was reported missing to the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department. As time passed, approximately 13,853 of those murders were solved, leaving the state with approximately 3,868 unsolved murders in South Carolina as of the last website update. Bernetta spent a few minutes searching the area around the apartment complex, but when she couldnt find her daughter, she called the Greenwood County Sheriffs Office to report her as missing. ", "People are definitely keeping small children in. Cold Cases | Charleston, SC - Official Website Homicides dont get closed. Change). [6] I criticize us for not raising such an uproar it would be heard across this nation .. (LogOut/ Use at your own risk. In most cases, they were sexually assaulted before being abandoned in a public setting, but at least one of the girls wasn't she was simply abducted and then dumped off at a gas station, where she was able to call for help. But now a parent's worst fear was beginning to creep into their bones the realization that she had not been okay, that something HAD happened to her. Sending it off for testing, they had to hope that they could uncover any evidence that could help lead them to the culprit. As an adult, he stood about five-feet-eight-inches tall, weighing it at only 132 pounds. We began checking missing children cases and conducted three weeks of intensive searches for additional remains, but we didn't find anything.". Through the rest of the year, police would remain relatively silent as to where their investigation stood. The results were testing alongside DNA taken from Kia's parents, Bernetta and Richard, and this time, it proved consistent. Over the coming weeks, the leads that Sheriff Giles Daniel was excited about began to dry up, either leading to dead ends or going nowhere at all. It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. At least nine unsolved murder cases in Union County have investigators asking the public . When they searched his home, they found several photographs of children in underwear, as well as various photos of nude adults - including pictures of Hampton himself. The first man was described as being white, older in age and with greying hair, and was seen driving a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. Research revealed that Lori had married Nathaniel Richardson in February of 1994 and that is where the trail grows cold. He and. South Carolina's Law Enforcement Division spokesman Hugh Munn stated about the composite drawing which the authorities had debuted the evening before: "We've done all the groundwork we can. On October 1, 1990, a deer hunter was walking along a pasture in a wooded area on US Forest Service Property in Newberry County, South Carolina. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. While police began a search of his home and his vehicle, he openly admitted to several things. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. Just like the day of the week, the timing changed, as well: some victims were abducted as early as 12:45 in the afternoon, while others were abducted as the sun began to set: seven or eight o'clock at night. It was occupied by a white male, thirty-five to forty years of age, slender built, lean or pointed facial features with brownish blond hair with sun streaks.". But Mr. Murdaugh, part of a prominent family of South Carolina lawyers, has denied any involvement in the unsolved killings . The composite, for all of its intrigue, led to no real suspects in the surrounding area. No one knows what really happened in that short span of time. But, rather, because he has said some very damning things about himself and committed some criminal acts, none of which would paint him as a flattering neighbor. The author of the newspaper article noted that as she spoke about her daughter, Bernetta was clutching a photo of Kia. On September 23, 1992, Dail Dinwiddie vanished into the night as she was walking along Harden Street in Columbia, SC. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had originally responded, was a Sergeant at this point in time for the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. Police were able to link Hampton to a farm owned in northern Georgia, which was owned by a friend of his. Sumter County Sheriff, SC Stephen Smith Case Reopened By Same Agency Investigating Murdaugh Murders It's hard not to compare the crime to that of Tiffany Nelson, a nine-year old that went missing from Augusta, Georgia in June of 1994. He recognized one of the men but wasnt able to give police a description before EMS staff arrived to treat him. It hasn't been updated with any of his current information. 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South Carolina We're requesting anyone with information call our office.". How can we send such a message? Upon his arrest, he proved very cooperative with law enforcement. Peace stated that Hampton had falsely confessed to "one, maybe two murders in Georgia and one in Columbia. We couldn't prove this case.". Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. This indictment was signed by 8th Circuit Solicitor William Townes Jones - the same William Townes Jones whose daughter, Townes, was given international popularity in the Harry Styles' song "Carolina.". 8 months since shooting death of Cody Hawkins, family still - WYFF Upon receiving Bernettas call, a bulletin was released, featuring the young girls description, which informed the countys officers that she was an African American female who stood at 42; weighed 60 to 70 pounds; and was wearing yellow shorts, a yellow-and-white polka dot shirt, and slip-on shoes. It's like a depression has set in.". He admitted to committing three child abductions in northern Georgia and confessed to having killed a child at an out-of-state farm. A Mother and Son Are Found Murdered, Deepening a Mystery in South Carolina. Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. So, he'll be back on the street. 13-36901 (Murder) When asked about the rash of sexual assaults against children, he suspiciously stated that the person responsible "would know how not to get caught," at least this time. Low 44F. They are asking local law enforcement to. Just a couple of blocks from this airport are a number of apartment complexes - all of which are a few miles out from downtown Greenwood. Subscribe Now:. The DNA testing from the six sexual assaults linked them together, indicating that a single suspect was behind each of the crimes - however, none of those samples matched up with Hampton himself. What makes the difference in some of these cases is witness cooperation. However, Kia lived with her mother, Bernetta Logan Baylor, who was a teacher at a nearby middle school. Login; . It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. It saw donations come in from both residents of Greenwood and local businesses, resulting in a total of over $20,000 raised. Murdered Paul Murdaugh reportedly had more brushes with law - New York Post To this day, the case remains open and unsolved. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. In each crime, the suspect was described as a middle-aged white man, with some kind of gray stubble on his face and a pockmarked complexion, as well as a unique tattoo on a bicep - which some of the young victims called a "dragon," and others a "snake.". Many of these details matched up with what police had heard from the victims themselves - but others did not. Most South Carolinians Have Never Heard Of This Fascinating Auto Museum, People Are Going Crazy Over The Handmade Monster Biscuit At This Tiny South Carolina Restaurant, Explore An Island From 700 Feet Above On This Helicopter Ride In South Carolina, Paddling Through The Hidden Wadboo Creek Is A Magical South Carolina Adventure That Will Light Up Your Soul, Donald Pee Wee Gaskins, One Of Americas First Serial Killers, Got His Start In South Carolina, The Dark History Behind This Tiny Town In South Carolina Will Never Be Forgotten, Dukes Mayonnaise Was Invented At This Old, Charming Two-Story Ruin In South Carolina From The Early 1900s, The Terrifying South Carolina Lowcountry Road Trip Is Haunting Good Fun. The victim was not the intended target. "Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. It just stops as if she evaporated into the hot southern air of South Carolina. In-between her 1988 disappearance and the 1998 confirmation that the skull belonged to her, they had prepared for the worst but anticipated Kia returning home. Police were called to the scene, and the skull was taken into police custody for testing. Alex Murdaugh Charged With Fraud After Asking Former Client to Kill Him. Her father, Richard Logan, was the mayor of a small South Carolina town named Saluda. When you get a case like, for example, in 2006 if we havent developed any suspects then I think we need to release a little more information and try to bring a little more to the board and see if we get some more probability of striking someones memory.. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Trending pages Kari Lynn Nixon Dana Satterfield Superbike Motorsports Murders Jessica Gutierrez Michele Whitaker Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. On Sept. 3, 2007 at 1:00 am the victim LaKavis Henicks age 13 was shot to death in the parking lot of the Gaz-Bah at 6201 Farrow Rd. While in a Georgia prison, investigators in North Carolina and Florida were looking at Hamptons potential involvement in similar abductions and assaults in their states, as the abductions stopped as soon as he was locked up. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. "It's definitely changed the lifestyle here. The Sorority Murder - Greenwood County Library System - OverDrive She could find no sign of her, but they would later find Kia's bike overturned just outside of the apartment office. The Greenwood County Sheriffs Office can be reached at 864-942-8632, or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. As of this episode's recording, the abduction and murder of Malakia Zali Logan remains unresolved.