It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. He was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. He was described as white, between the ages of 35 and 40, 58 to 59 tall and 250 pounds. Part of me is missing and I need to find it.". Rewards are being offered. Early on in questioning, Charles admitted that he often changed his hair color. Witnesses told officers they saw two men running from Pearl Street onto Osborne Avenue. Low 44F. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". On July 4th, the Greenwood-area newspaper, the Index Journal, ran a story detailing Kia's mom, Bernetta Logan, as she struggled with the disappearance of her youngest daughter. Crime in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map All Cities South Carolina, South Carolina smaller cities, South Carolina small towns Greenwood main page US Crime Crime rate in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC) She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. Police were called to the scene, and the skull was taken into police custody for testing. 1-888-CRIME SC (1-888-274-6372) These two men were not immediately believed to be suspects, but were wanted for questioning. I know that we dont want to think about such things happening in our own backyard, but we must. Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. They had been shot. By September 15th, Kia had been missing for four months. Soon, children began playing outside of the Georgetown apartments once again, Kia's disappearance becoming an outlier to a safe community. 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. 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.". South Carolina's unsolved mysteries Greenville, SC 29601 62 Light Rain 90% MORE No Alerts & Closings in Your Area Sign Up to Get Future Alerts 1 / 2 Advertisement TOP PICKS South. 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. More than 20 shell casings of three different calibers were found in the road, along with a .45-caliber handgun in a mulch pile near where Hawkins was shot. Given the case theyd put together, they were prepared to pursue the death penalty. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. In the case of Malik Padgetts slaying at a party in 2013 on Tabor Street, more than 100 people were at the scene but no witness was able to identify a suspect. They're no closer today than they were back in 1988 when Kia was snatched up. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Thats why its so important that we build that relationship with the community and we have that working relationship, he said. Bullets damaged the window of a residence and shot through a TV inside. 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. It just stops as if she evaporated into the hot southern air of South Carolina. 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. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. It took over a decade, but Kia's parents were finally given answers as to what had happened ot their daughter. 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. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com Jun 5, 2019 Zykevious Ramsey's sister, Jada Leverette, said her brother was a. Zykevious Ramsey, 22, was shot early Tuesday morning on the steps of his apartment and later died while at the hospital. "I hope wherever she (Kia) is, she's safe and alive and she'll be home soon. Lori's sister, Debbie, tried to contact her regarding her mother's death, but couldn't find her. ddominguez@indexjournal.com. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. It is known that her friends lost track of her in the crowd so they assumed that she had a ride home and left. Parker told police he heard a knock at the front door and opened it, then was shot by one of the two men there. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. "We're looking for a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. Even though you cant say I understand what youre going through, because I have not lost a child, you have to just be with them, answer the questions they have and be available to them when they need to talk and reach out to you.. The Disappearance of Nguyet Thu Wiki Phung, Case Update: Brittanee Drexels Remains Discovered After 13 Years, SuspectCharged, The Disappearances of Tina & BethanySinclair. Greenwood County Sheriff Giles Daniel stated that calls were still pouring in about Kia, either potential sightings or people that may know something. In the past 21 years the departments digital records system goes back, there were 55 murders reported to the police. Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. - tattooed on his right shoulder. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. 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. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. This was when he was transferred to a jail in Greenwood county - the same county where Kia Logan had disappeared from in 1988. DNA testing confirmed her identity. No closure. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund was established by Tuck Wooten, the Head of A.M. Tuck Inc. BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. (WIS) - Two men died in a shooting Friday night in Batesburg-Leesville, police confirmed. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. It is reported that a neighbor saw him standing outside by the road with his bicycle as if he were waiting on the bus, but he didn't have school that day. These tips carried the investigation outside the Greenwood area, with investigators pursuing leads to as far away at California. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. There were six victims in total, all of whom - save for one - were young black girls between the ages of five and nine. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. No one knows what really happened in that short span of time. Sending it off for testing, they had to hope that they could uncover any evidence that could help lead them to the culprit. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had originally responded, was a Sergeant at this point in time for the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. 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.". Kias case was featured on a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. Numerous people called in potential sightings of Kia or of people who may know something about the case. 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South CarolinaThank for watching! 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. However, police and investigators have yet to find any more of Kia Logan's remains, and remain hopeful that those will turn up some day, allowing them to fully pursue a suspect or person-of-interest in the crimes. 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. 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. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Her father, Richard Logan, was the mayor of a small South Carolina town named Saluda. It was a Sunday in Greenwood, South Carolina - a small town roughly an hour north of Augusta, Georgia and about an hour-and-a-half west of Columbia, South Carolina. Prosecutors there had been building a case against Hampton since the summer of 2000, but chose not to bring it forward because of an interstate agreement between Georgia and South Carolina. The results were testing alongside DNA taken from Kia's parents, Bernetta and Richard, and this time, it proved consistent. This would come up later in the story, so please keep that in-mind. "We're also looking for a faded dark blue or black Monte Carlo, a mid-70's model. He'll be back on the street. They haven't made any positive identification yet. Six have gone unsolved. 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. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in the crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. 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. DNA testing didn't match him in one of the Georgia cases. According to our research of South Carolina and other state lists, there were 13 registered sex offenders living in Greenwood, South Carolina as of March 04, 2023. It wasn't until the third or fourth crime that police began to link the crimes together, when the suspect descriptions began to slowly align with one another. Speaking about the indictment, longtime Greenwood County Sheriff Sam Riley stated: "There was no relationship between him and Kia. Anyone with information on those cases is urged to call law enforcement. This meant that police were pretty confident that the skull had been intentionally left there. He also soon recanted all of his prior confessions, meaning that police had to start back from square one. 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. Anyone with information about Sumter County's unsolved cases is asked to use the following methods to provide a crucial tip: Sumter County Sheriff's Office . Despite the charges being dropped in relation to Kias murder, Hampton was convicted on obstruction of justice in relation to the Richland County case and his alleged false confessions. 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. He said its unlikely that no one saw the shooter, but rather that witnesses dont feel comfortable sharing what they saw. Police had continued to interview people within the apartment complex, hoping to learn more about these two mysterious men and any ties they had to the tenants. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. Charles Hampton agreed to give up blood and hair samples to investigators. When her sister, Renee, went home approximately twenty to thirty minutes later, she was surprised to find out that Kia had not yet returned. We're scraping the bottom right now.". "Normally there would be a family get-together in Saluda. Map Browse By State. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 254.8. Along Mount Pleasant Road also known as the S.C. 34 Highway he came across a badly decomposed human skull, which prompted him to contact the Newberry County Sheriffs Office. Examining the world of solved and unsolved cases. When they continued their rounds of questioning, Hampton was eager to talk. Police noted that he had a snake tattoo on his upper arm, as well as his initials - C.H. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. Officers did find an air pistol at a nearby street corner, along with a car with a shot-out window. Create a password that only you will remember. He immediately provided voluntary consent for police to search his vehicle by signing a Waiver of Constitutional Rights to a Search Warrant - a provision he also signed for a search of his home. This is due to his alleged confessions, which he would later recant. Malakia's bike was found near the apartment office. 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. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds. Name. The indictment against Charles Wade Hampton included crimes such as murder, kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. In fact, police noted that he might have been a little TOO eager at times. They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. Throughout the 30+ year investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. Between July 1995 and August 1996, authorities in Georgia and South Carolina were investigating a string of abductions and sexual assaults of young Black children along a specific state highway. Can't we show at least as much concern for the fate of a child? A forensic anthropologist with the University of South Carolina examined the skull and found it belonged to an African American child between the ages of 6 and 8. This would prove to be one of the only clues found during the course of the investigation. Thank you! People with information are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. 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. GREENWOOD, SC (WSPA) A rally in front of the Greenwood Courthouse brought families of nearly a half dozen murder victims together Tuesday afternoon. Call CrimeStoppers 843-554-1111. I'm not the first to ask that question and so many more than me want to know the answer. Despite this overwhelming sadness experienced by Bernetta and her family at this moment in time, the article had a profound effect on the community. Alex Murdaugh took the witness stand on Feb. 23, Day 23 of his trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.When Murdaugh . That day - Monday, May 16th - approximately seventy-five people helped conduct a search around the apartment complex. Detectives will re-interview witnesses and relatives of victims to try and find any new leads. 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. An unsolved murder. Police were able to link Hampton to a farm owned in northern Georgia, which was owned by a friend of his. 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. 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.. 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. No one was hurt when multiple shots were fired early Saturday in the area of Piedmont Avenue and Edgefield Street. In the weeks since Kia had gone missing, Bernetta struggled to leave the phone for any prolonged period of time. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. 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. The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ Charles Wade Hampton were eventually charged with Malakia's murder, but the mystery remains unsolved. Another witness suggested it could have been a drive-by shooting. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. Choose wisely! The physical search didn't produce any leads or clues. The mid 1980's was the last contact Lori had with her family. We must not forget the ones that have left us mysteriously. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. The lone exception was a five-year old girl with tan, olive-colored skin who had dark feaures. 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. After 11'000 days, 30 years and 29 of those years on death row, Edward Lee Elmore was freed in 2012. The murder is being investigated by the Columbia Police Department. 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. Login; . In his vehicle, police found many out-of-place items: things such as clothing, toilet paper, the marriage certificate of him and his ex-wife, etc. 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. Love South Carolina? Chaudoin said he plans to start a monthly cold case briefing within the next few months, to share information with the public about these cases in the hopes of inspiring tipsters. You have permission to edit this article. We began checking missing children cases and conducted three weeks of intensive searches for additional remains, but we didn't find anything.". And, if his father was a physician in Canada, wouldn't he have been looking for them? Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. He was accused of intentionally drilling the holes to Peep on unwitting victims, and arrested shortly after this was discovered. Three other people were shot that day and taken to the hospital by others, but many in the crowd said they saw nothing and police couldnt confirm the nature of the shooting. I had dreams that maybe she's been in California or somewhere all this time.". [6] Officers spoke with several witnesses who described the vehicle the shooters were in, but have been unable to identify any suspects. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! It began to seem to police like he was making things up as he went along, but they were constantly reminded by the facts that something was amiss. They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. Police were later able to link him to a farm, which was owned by a friend. 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. 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.
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