This was a random act, which seems to be his technique.". Through interviews, police learned two or three men had come over to the house prior to the shooting. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery offers an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga centered around disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. Every state has its unsolved mysteries and South Carolina, unfortunately, is not without its own. Few details have been gleaned from interviews. However, the criminal trial would never come to be. They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin said he keeps a file in his office of the departments unsolved homicide cases, to keep them fresh in his mind and revisit them when he can. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". He was described as being between thirty-five and forty years old, with slender ad pointed facial features. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds. cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. A translator helped him speak to officers, and he said he was robbed before he and the other man were shot by a masked man. The family, to their credit, was steadfast in their conviction, wanting to to see Hampton in a court to face the charges levied against him. The Newberry County Sheriff's Office, along with other law enforcement and volunteer agencies, conducted searches in the area where the skull had been found. Soon, the one-year anniversary of Kia's disappearance had come-and-gone. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. "Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. When they continued their rounds of questioning, Hampton was eager to talk. 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. They had held out hope that someone had abducted her for ransom, or perhaps - just perhaps - she actually had run away. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with credit for time served and good behaviour. Two months into the investigation, at least one thing was crystal clear: Kia Logan may have been missing, but she most certainly wasn't going to be forgotten. Police department Public Information Officer Jonathan Link said investigators are continuing to work with the information theyve gathered in each of these cases, and that theyve tried to get more information through interviewing witnesses and other people of interest. Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. Despite this overwhelming sadness experienced by Bernetta and her family at this moment in time, the article had a profound effect on the community. They were still investigating new avenues, but none of them led anywhere. 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. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. In the afternoons you see small children running and playing, riding skateboards, that kind of thing. He and. The witness saw three young men in the car, and when officers checked near the church they found a pair of shoes that matched a sole imprint at the scene. In particular, they went after him for comments he had made between his 2000 release from prison and his 2002 re-arrest, in which he had confessed to the 1995 abduction of a five-year old girl from Richland County and the subsequent sexual assault. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. But we can't prove it. The podcast is hosted by veteran journalist Anne Emerson, along with former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon and producer Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had originally responded, was a Sergeant at this point in time for the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. This is due to his alleged confessions, which he would later recant. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. In 1990, sadly, her remains were found by a deer hunter. She lived with her mother and her sister, Renee, in an apartment complex just north of the rural city of Greenwood, South Carolina. These tips carried the investigation outside the Greenwood area, with investigators pursuing leads to as far away at California. "The murder kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct charges have been dropped. Another description was vague, calling it simply an older model white compact or subcompact with blue interior. Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. At around the time these sexual assaults came to an end, in the summer of 1996, police began to eye a specific sexual deviant as a potential suspect. 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. Upon being let out of prison, he was immediately re-arrested for the 1995 abduction and rape of a 7-year-old victim from Richland County, South Carolina. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had responded to the incident and originally stayed the night, continued to feel a personal connection to the story. No closure. The physical search didn't produce any leads or clues. Can't we show at least as much concern for the fate of a child? As of publishing, there have not been any new updates in relation to Kias disappearance and murder, nor about the investigation into it. 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. The killings also led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open a new inquiry into the unsolved death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose body was found on a rural road in the area in . Discuss Greenwood, South Carolina (SC) on our hugely popular South Carolina forum. He had been handcuffed, bound with duct tape, and shot in the head. Little else could be determined of the victim or how they had died, as the skull showed no signs of obvious trauma or any bullet holes. Police checked for fingerprints and gunshot residue, along with pulling Parkers phone records to identify who he had spoken with. One of the most intriguing and promising leads in this investigation came on that Wednesday night, May 18th, when a composite sketch of a potential suspect was aired on the evening news. 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.". [6] Welldo you really need that much sleep? However, by the time the skull was forensically proven as belonging to Kia Logan, they had come across a suspect they believed was not only responsible for Kia's death, but an assortment of various sexual assaults and crimes against children. 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. (LogOut/ During these searches, they uncovered many out-of-place items, as well as images of nude women and adults, a pornographic magazine, torn-out magazine images of children and several photographs of children in their underwear. Edward Lee Elmore was a black man in the town of Greenwood, South Carolina in 1982 when he was arrested for the murder of 75-year-old Dorothy Edwards, a popular fun-loving woman who was well-known in the community. Unsolved Cases - City of Columbia Police Department Unsolved Cases If you can help solve any of these crimes or think that you may know something no matter how small, please contact the Violent Crimes Against Persons Unit - VCAP at: (803)545-3525. He would be sixty-five years old as of this episode's recording, and there's only a brief mention of him on the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's sex offender registry. Low 44F. I criticize us for not raising such an uproar it would be heard across this nation .. When human remains are found and the identity of the deceased person is unknown, this unit provides artistic renderings of what the victim/person may have looked like in life. The next day, a retired pediatrician named Casper E. Wiggins wrote a heartfelt editorial in the Index Journal, which read as follows: " A child is missing, and apart from the few days immediately after her kidnapping, the public outcry has been next to nothing. Her picture appeared on ADVO cards in August and the story was recently on television. Hampton openly confessed to committing several of the abductions and willingly provided details of the accompanying assaults, with most details matching up with what the victims had provided. He had been talking with someone on a moped when a dark car came up, and two people opened fire from within. With these two most recent homicides, the number of unsolved slayings in recent years for Greenwood County climbs to four. I had dreams that maybe she's been in California or somewhere all this time.". They're no closer today than they were back in 1988 when Kia was snatched up. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ At the scene, people were scrambling into cars and driving off, including someone driving Hawkins to the hospital for treatment. Earlier that morning, his mother had checked on him before leaving for work. Login; . Other paranormal phenomena are also regularly reported here. You will receive your first email soon. Police were able to link Hampton to a farm owned in northern Georgia, which was owned by a friend of his. 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. The message we should be sending far and wide is not one emphasizing our public apathy, but one which loudly reveals that the people of Greenwood County will not sit idly by while our children disappear! When the police finally arrived they found all three of the victims in a utility room in the back of the bank. His height was listed in the range of 5'8" or 5'9", and he was of slight build, in the weight range of 150 pounds. The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average. This not being enough, the skull would later be sent to an FBI lab in 1998. Bullets damaged the window of a residence and shot through a TV inside. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. "I hope wherever she (Kia) is, she's safe and alive and she'll be home soon. Police also found actual pairs of children's underwear in his laundry, which then sent in for forensic testing. This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. He had been previously terminated due to unexcused absences and excessive tardiness, but that didn't stop him from getting into trouble. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. Invalid password or account does not exist. You have permission to edit this article. Anyone with information on any of Greenwoods homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. 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. Low 44F. Charles Wade Hampton later plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges, which stemmed from him lying to investigators. 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. Major Sam Riley was quoted as saying: "These leads have carried the investigation outside of the Greenwood area.". In the past 21 years the departments digital records system goes back, there were 55 murders reported to the police. 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. After 11'000 days, 30 years and 29 of those years on death row, Edward Lee Elmore was freed in 2012. CID Email Anonymous Tip Submission Crime Stoppers. Unfortunately for them, as soon as Hampton went to jail for Peeping Tom, he stopped cooperating with investigators. As the years pass, the mystery just intensifies. Between 1995 and 1996, the states of Georgia and South Carolina began investigating a series of sexual assaults that occurred along a specific interstate. Calling them cold cases implies theyre no longer active, but Chaudoin said the unsolved homicides in Greenwoods city limits since 2001 are still top of mind for him. Will they ever find out what happened and who these two young people were? If you know any information about this crime, you can contact the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department at (864) 942-8600. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. After a few days, the Director of Greenwoods Emergency Preparedness said the group would be suspending their involvement in the search and would wait for law enforcement to request further assistance before getting involved again. 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. 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. Freeman was shot at about 10 p.m. July 15, 2018 at a Sumter Street residence. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. Officers spoke to a witness who said they were near Hawkins when he was shot. People were arrested in connection with this case, a report said, but witnesses recanted their statements and the suspects were released for lack of evidence. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. This would come up later in the story, so please keep that in-mind. Kias case was featured on a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . The Greenwood County Sheriffs Office is working to solve the case of 18-year-old Tadarrius Robinson, who was found fatally shot on July 25, 2018 at 103 Wheatfield Drive. 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. Despite their efforts, no evidence was found. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. The Greenwood County Sheriffs Office can be reached at 864-942-8632, or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. 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. She said that she didn't actually see him, but his bedcovers were pulled up so she assumed that he was asleep. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. An initial search of the area around the apartment complex by investigators led to the discovery of Kias bicycle, which was located in the parking lot, just outside of the apartment office. This year my daughter Renee will go, but I will stay here to answer the phone, just in case. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. We must not forget the ones that have left us mysteriously. James Paul Freund (September 16, 1946 - August 9, 1976) and Pamela Mae Buckley (December 16, 1951 - August 9, 1976), commonly known as the Sumter County Does, Jock Doe and Jane Doe respectively, [5] were two previously unidentified American murder victims found in Sumter County, South Carolina on August 9, 1976. Newberry County Memorial Hospital forensic pathologist Dr. Keene Garvin reiterated this finding, stating - after preliminary testing had been conducted - that the skull was likely placed there are the body had decomposed. Winds light and variable. I'm not the first to ask that question and so many more than me want to know the answer. It all pointed to a very confusing puzzle, which police didn't know how to make sense of. 1)The only theory in the case is that Charles Wade Hampton is the person who abducted and murder Kia. It seems that there may be been two suspects who were trying to rob the bank. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. Upon the 1996 arrest of Charles Hampton, the string of child abductions plaguing the area of Georgia and South Carolina seemed to come to an end. But, let a Carolina or a Clemson sports event take the forefront and emotions bubble over throughout the community. Sylvia Holtzclaw was running the bank alone on Friday, May 16, 2003, in Greer, SC. Get more stories delivered right to your email. That day - Monday, May 16th - approximately seventy-five people helped conduct a search around the apartment complex. Change). 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. It was this apartment complex where, on a Sunday evening in the middle of May, everything seemed right with the world. 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. As another family started mourning Tuesday, Greenwood law enforcement had another shooting on their hands to solve. He did not live here. Map Browse By State. Dennis Beauford, one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene, stated: "It was a pretty Sunday afternoon. The murder is being investigated by the Columbia Police Department. Officers did find an air pistol at a nearby street corner, along with a car with a shot-out window. 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. Chaudoin provided the investigative reports detailing these open homicide investigations: A 911 caller found Parker lying on his bedroom floor at about 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, 2006 on Leonard Street. 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. Results: Unresolved. He was more than willing to continue talking, even answering questions about his prior sexual assault conviction from 1981. He voluntarily provided blood and hair samples. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. The composite, for all of its intrigue, led to no real suspects in the surrounding area. It's like a depression has set in.". BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. (WIS) - Two men died in a shooting Friday night in Batesburg-Leesville, police confirmed. 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.". People with information are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. 1-888-CRIME SC (1-888-274-6372) In the weeks since Kia had gone missing, Bernetta struggled to leave the phone for any prolonged period of time. She had one sister, named Renee, and the three lived in an apartment complex just north of Greenwood, South Carolina. Hampton was known to spend a good amount of time on this farm, and it remained on the investigator's radar for a good amount of time after this initial confession. Create a password that only you will remember. On the evening on May 15, 1988, Kia and Renee were playing basketball with a friend at the court of a nearby park, located 300 yards from their apartment complex. I'm going down today and make my donation and I challenge you, be you a parent, citizen or business, if you're really concerned about what happens to the children of the Greenwood Community, go down to any office of the County Bank and make your donation. 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. 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. Anyone with information on any of these shootings is urged to contact police by calling 864-942-8407, sending them a message through the departments Facebook page, or through the anonymous online tip form at cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. In the weeks after, she would find it difficult to leave the telephone unattended, in case she missed a call from someone related to the case. The Sheriffs Office, along with other law enforcement and volunteer agencies, conducted a three week search of the area, but were unable to locate any other remains. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. Greenwood is the type of town you imagine when you think of rural America: a downtown comprised of brick buildings, a railroad track that separates the storefronts from the industrial area, and a large suburban population. On May 30th, over two weeks after Kia had disappeared, investigators were still optimistic. It bothers me that we seem willing to accept this obvious crime against a child without a public uproar. There were 14 shell casings of different makes and calibers in the area. Georgetown has always been a family-type community. Over the next week, the letter written by Dr. Wiggins inspired many to pledge support to the Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund. He was taken to Self Regional Medical Center for treatment, where he died of his injury. 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. 8th Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace, who had replaced William Townes Jones in the preceding half-decade, had plenty to say about this decision. We couldn't prove this case.". On June 22, 2007, the prosecutor announced that the charges against Hampton would be dropped, citing a lack of evidence to corroborate his prior confession. Richard Martin Age. At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. A Mother and Son Are Found Murdered, Deepening a Mystery in South Carolina. She then contacted Lori's daughter and found that she hadn't heard from Lori since 1992. Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. "Every time I open up the evidence room door, I see the bike and it's haunted me. This was when he was transferred to a jail in Greenwood county - the same county where Kia Logan had disappeared from in 1988. The location of the skull was four miles east of the city of Newberry and 35 miles east of Greenwood. Use at your own risk. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. Titled "The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund," it hope to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. It had been nearly five years since the original indictment was filed, accusing him of the abduction and murder of Kia Logan. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The composite is the latest thing we have and we're trying to develop leads from that. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. You can also contact the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000. There was a fight among a group of teenagers and several shots were fired. While he had previously confessed to the crime, he recanted, resulting in the rape charge being dropped due to a lack of evidence. Officers heard several shots on April 6, 2013 while at the Greenwood County Detention Center, then saw two men running up from 606 Tabor St., one of whom had been shot in the arm. However, with DNA testing being in its infancy, it would be years before they could definitively test the skull for forensic proof. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. In 1993, the skull was sent off to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC for DNA testing. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. ", Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster also shared his thoughts, referring to the active state of the investigation or rather, the lack of one: "I can't think of anything worse than losing a child to an act of violence, then on top of that losing a child which you really don't know what happened.".