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. Alex Murdaugh Charged With Fraud After Asking Former Client to Kill Him. When the police finally arrived they found all three of the victims in a utility room in the back of the bank. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Unfortunately, none came, and the next day, they had to begin investigating Kia's disappearance in earnest. Discuss Greenwood, South Carolina (SC) on our hugely popular South Carolina forum. Invalid password or account does not exist. When it was discovered by her parents that she was gone there was no trace to follow. On June 22nd, 2007 - a Friday - the charges against Charles Wade Hampton were suddenly dropped. We are also following up on similar situations that occur in this area and nationwide.". Stephen Smith Case Reopened By Same Agency Investigating Murdaugh Murders By Thursday, May 19th, the mood in the Georgetown apartment complex had changed dramatically. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with credit for time served and good behaviour. How can we send such a message? He said its unlikely that no one saw the shooter, but rather that witnesses dont feel comfortable sharing what they saw. Nothing more is known On a cold and rainy Thursday morning Jeremy Grice mysteriously vanished from his North Augusta home. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. The wooded area he was in, just off of Mount Pleasant Road - also known as S.C. 34 - is about four miles northeast of Newberry and thirty-five miles east of Greenwood, where Kia Logan had disappeared from. The investigation to find her had still gone nowhere truly productive, with police beginning to expand their search out of the area according to some in the police department, even out of the state. 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.". 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. 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) He included details, some of which convinced police that he had involvement, but others they viewed skeptically. Change). 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. Call the Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch Center at 843-743-7200 and ask to speak to a Detective in the Charleston Police Department Violent Crimes Unit. 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. They had suspended the searches on Tuesday afternoon, after finding nothing in the two days out there. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 13-36901 (Murder) Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP . 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. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. She lived with her mother and her sister, Renee, in an apartment complex just north of the rural city of Greenwood, South Carolina. 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. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. Welldo you really need that much sleep? In the weeks since Kia had gone missing, Bernetta struggled to leave the phone for any prolonged period of time. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF In 1993, the skull was sent off to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC for DNA testing. It's like a depression has set in.". A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. 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. Call CrimeStoppers 843-554-1111. 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. It is known that her friends lost track of her in the crowd so they assumed that she had a ride home and left. Gunshots were heard on Pearl Street near Osborne Avenue. Bernetta, the girls' mother, began looking around the apartment complex for eight-year old Kia. About two weeks earlier, Cody Hawkins was shot in an apparent drive-by shooting May 19 on Pearl Street, close to Osborne Avenue. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years. An eight-year-old girl that lived in this community was out playing with her sister and a friend on their apartment complex's basketball court. Malakia Logan | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. 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. 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. A lot of times what you hear law enforcement say is we dont want to give a lot of details out because the case is still pending, he said. We're scraping the bottom right now.". Bullets damaged the window of a residence and shot through a TV inside. The Disappearance of Nguyet Thu Wiki Phung, Case Update: Brittanee Drexels Remains Discovered After 13 Years, SuspectCharged, The Disappearances of Tina & BethanySinclair. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. Police called for EMS, but Padgett looked badly injured so officers loaded him into a patrol car to drive him to the hospital. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had originally responded, was a Sergeant at this point in time for the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. You can not have good without a bad. When her sister, Renee, went home approximately twenty to thirty minutes later, she was surprised to find out that Kia had not yet returned. "Reading his statement, you'd think that only the person who did that would know those details. 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.". Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. When Hampton stopped cooperating with police and withdrew his previous statements taking credit for the 1995 and 1996 sexual assaults, police realized that they needed to build a case around evidence, not just his comments. Sam Riley, who had been a Major in the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, had recently been elected Sheriff. The County Bank is accepting and receipting donations. 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. 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. One man who had met the couple stated that the man, Jacques, had told him that his father was a physician in Canada. Love South Carolina? Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. 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. Speaking about the indictment, longtime Greenwood County Sheriff Sam Riley stated: "There was no relationship between him and Kia. 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. Throughout the 30+ year investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Unsolved South Carolina on Greenwood's Emergency Preparedness Director Herbert Vaughn spoke to the local press, and talked about the searches his department had helped conduct in the area on Monday and Tuesday. However, one of the most interesting notes of this sketch came from a description, which noted that the suspect had a pockmarked face. Police were called to the scene, and the skull was taken into police custody for testing. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. 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. 24 Cause of Death. 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South CarolinaThank for watching! No one was hurt when multiple shots were fired early Saturday in the area of Piedmont Avenue and Edgefield Street. A clear sky. Unsolved Cases - City of Columbia Police Department I'm thinking in terms of fifty or a hundred thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible a reward made up of contributions from those who really care, in amounts affordable to them parents, concerned citizens and businesses. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. Murders of Pamela Buckley and James Freund - Wikipedia In November 2002, Hampton was transferred to a jail in Greenwood County and charged with murder, abduction and intent to commit criminal sexual misconduct on a minor, all in relation to Kias disappearance and murder. 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. On May 30th, over two weeks after Kia had disappeared, investigators were still optimistic. Charles Wade Hampton later plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges, which stemmed from him lying to investigators. He admitted to committing three child abductions in northern Georgia and confessed to having killed a child at an out-of-state farm. Who was the man who found them? After this discovery, interrogators circled back around to Hampton. 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. Police did not share the part of town in which the shooting happened. Missing Persons my Neighborhood alarm registration File a report Share your news tips and story ideas with us. As Hampton prepared for his five-year sentence, he was facing investigations and charges from four separate states. Titled "The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund," it hope to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. Police have shared that Kias abduction was a crime of opportunity, and that Hampton did not know the young girl. They wanted to take their time, and waited until his holding period for the 1995 warrant was nearing its end to finally strike. 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. It wasn't until the sister returned to the apartment complex half-an-hour later that anyone realized this eight-year old was missing. It is what life is made of. 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. Anyone with information on any of Greenwood's homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. Sometime in the middle of the night, a man stole her from the bedroom without waking her. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. When does she have the time, you ask? 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. Unless new evidence emerges, our participation is over.". Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. Scary. However, no calls were received and the real investigation into her disappearance began. 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. Choose wisely! 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. South Carolina Department of Social Services; South Carolina Dept Health & Environmental Control; . Perez took police to another man lying on a concrete pad behind an apartment. Sylvia Holtzclaw was running the bank alone on Friday, May 16, 2003, in Greer, SC. "The murder kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct charges have been dropped. Is it twisted thinking? It's a town of roughly 20,000 people - a population level that hasn't really changed in over thirty years. Charles Wade Hampton was born on September 21st, 1952. The Murder of Malakia Logan - Stories of the Unsolved I know that we dont want to think about such things happening in our own backyard, but we must. 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. He was taken to Self Regional Medical Center for treatment, where he died of his injury. Police took Hampton out of jail, and drove him to many of the landmarks and locations from the child abductions. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . What he had told them was intriguing at face-value, but there was nothing incriminating: it was as-if he was saying enough to keep police on-the-hook, but not enough to actually be charged with any crimes. A bouncer remembers talking to her around 1:30 a.m. before she walked out of the club. A witness spotted two men running from the area after the shooting, and they got into a small silver four-door vehicle parked at a nearby gas station. Freeman was shot at about 10 p.m. July 15, 2018 at a Sumter Street residence. 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. At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. But Mr. Murdaugh, part of a prominent family of South Carolina lawyers, has denied any involvement in the unsolved killings . He also had scars along his right arm and stomach, which matched up with what one of the younger victims had described. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". Police have long theorized that the abduction - and later murder - of Kia Logan was a crime of opportunity. The victim was not the intended target. However, three - which took place in the middle of this crime spree - took place on a Thursday. 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. 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. Her father was the mayor of Saluda, a small town in South Carolina, and her mother was a teacher at a local middle school. Immediately, investigators became convinced that the skull could have belonged to the missing Kia Logan, who had been missing from a town roughly half-an-hour away for two-and-a-half years now. 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. It has been over a decade since there was any news or developments in the investigation, with it seeming to entering the pantheon of cold cases which will likely never be truly solved. 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. Another description was vague, calling it simply an older model white compact or subcompact with blue interior. The author of the newspaper article noted that as she spoke about her daughter, Bernetta was clutching a photo of Kia. To get justice for them, Chaudoin said he sometimes asks officers if there are forensic techniques that could reveal new leads. Thats why its so important that we build that relationship with the community and we have that working relationship, he said. When the skull was discovered in 1990, it proved a lone clue in a vast sea of nothingness. 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 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. Unidentified Remains The SLED Forensic Art Unit assists local law enforcement agencies in Unidentified Remains cases. Police were able to link Hampton to a farm owned in northern Georgia, which was owned by a friend of his. 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.". They did, however, share a similar suspect description of a middle-aged white man with grey stubble, a pockmarked complexion and a tattoo of either a dragon or a snake on one of his biceps. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". In all of the sexual assaults, the victim profile remained largely the same. Neighbors cameras didnt offer much, but one witness said he saw a black sedan leave speeding from the area. 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 Sunday, July 17, 1966, a brutal triple murder took three lives in Henderson County, N.C. To this day, after-effects from the grisly slayings of Vernon Shipman, Charles Glass and Louise Davis. Earlier that morning, his mother had checked on him before leaving for work. 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. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. We dont close out these cases because theyre so important.. She was a small girl, who had been wearing yellow shorts, a yellow-and-white polka-dot shirt, and slip-on shoes on the evening she disappeared. "Normally there would be a family get-together in Saluda. 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. 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. Sending it off for testing, they had to hope that they could uncover any evidence that could help lead them to the culprit. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery offers an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga centered around disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. Use at your own risk. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund was established by Tuck Wooten, the Head of A.M. Tuck Inc. He and. This was when he was transferred to a jail in Greenwood county - the same county where Kia Logan had disappeared from in 1988. He lifted his shirt and officers saw Perez had two gunshot wounds on his right side. There is nothing left to tell about this case unfortunately. Login; . Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. 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. You never know if that tiny piece of information could flesh out the full puzzle. Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. Witnesses said they hadnt seen Kia near the men or getting into either of their vehicles. The mid 1980's was the last contact Lori had with her family. 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. 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. Police were later able to link him to a farm, which was owned by a friend. In-between the apartment's basketball court and her front door, this little girl had disappeared. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. No one wants to think that there is evil that walks among us; an evil that stalks the dark and steals the light. We couldn't prove this case.". Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. 5C Albert Adams, known as "New York" in the Greenline community, was shot and killed on the front porch of his apartment. Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ As an adult, he stood about five-feet-eight-inches tall, weighing it at only 132 pounds. As former Sheriff Riley and current Sheriff Tony Davis stated: "members of the community supported the Logan family when in need, and now those funds will support those in need with educational opportunities.".