As of this episode's recording, the abduction and murder of Malakia Zali Logan remains unresolved. SLED - South Carolina Law Enforcement Division 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. South Carolina murderers list | Murderpedia Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. However, theyd waited to pursue their case, as they didnt want to risk activating an interstate agreement between Georgia and South Carolina, which would have required them to have brought Hampton to trial within 180 days of the charges being laid. An unsolved murder. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster told the media: "It was obvious that it was the skull of a child. All these cases are active. 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. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. Hampton had been sitting in a Georgia prison at the time, and if South Carolina prosecutors tried the case at that time, they would be forced to bring Hampton to trial within 180 days. It seems that there may be been two suspects who were trying to rob the bank. Anyone with information on those cases is urged to call law enforcement. Other paranormal phenomena are also regularly reported here. He recognized one of the men but wasnt able to give police a description before EMS staff arrived to treat him. Through the rest of the year, police would remain relatively silent as to where their investigation stood. He admitted to committing three child abductions in northern Georgia and confessed to having killed a child at an out-of-state farm. 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. ddominguez@indexjournal.com. The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. Who was the man who found them? 5C Albert Adams, known as "New York" in the Greenline community, was shot and killed on the front porch of his apartment. Detectives will re-interview witnesses and relatives of victims to try and find any new leads. Invalid password or account does not exist. Three days following Hawkins slaying, police found about 40 shell casings in the area around 526 Sumter St. 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. He also had a blotchy, pockmarked face, made worse from poison ivy exposure the year prior. Advertisement Investigators with the Greenwood Police. Police were able to link Hampton to a farm owned in northern Georgia, which was owned by a friend of his. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. And in that time, more terrifying and intriguing mysteries would present themselves. Many of these details matched up with what police had heard from the victims themselves - but others did not. 13-36901 (Murder) If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. 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 . As Hampton prepared for his five-year sentence, he was facing investigations and charges from four separate states. 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. Earlier that night, she and a few of her friends had attended a U2 concert and afterwards went to a nightclub, then known as Jungle Jim's. Sadly, he wasn't too far off. Earlier that morning, his mother had checked on him before leaving for work. Choose wisely! - tattooed on his right shoulder. During the investigation, police drove him around to many of the abduction sites, and while he was able to share some information, he didnt know any of the minute details the actual perpetrator would, leading them to believe he was making up his confessions. 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. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. This was when he was transferred to a jail in Greenwood county - the same county where Kia Logan had disappeared from in 1988. Research revealed that Lori had married Nathaniel Richardson in February of 1994 and that is where the trail grows cold. Soon, the one-year anniversary of Kia's disappearance had come-and-gone. However, Kia lived with her mother, Bernetta Logan Baylor, who was a teacher at a nearby middle school. Bernetta, the girls' mother, began looking around the apartment complex for eight-year old Kia. 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. The podcast is hosted by veteran journalist Anne Emerson, along with former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon and producer Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. He reported him missing at 10 a.m. that morning. All of these cases are still open and being investigated when or if leads become available. Low 44F. 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. Major Sam Riley was quoted as saying: "These leads have carried the investigation outside of the Greenwood area.". Numerous people called in potential sightings of Kia or of people who may know something about the case. He had been previously terminated due to unexcused absences and excessive tardiness, but that didn't stop him from getting into trouble. 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. However, no calls were received and the real investigation into her disappearance began. Richard Martin Age. Trending pages Kari Lynn Nixon Dana Satterfield Superbike Motorsports Murders Jessica Gutierrez Michele Whitaker Is it twisted thinking? Murdered Paul Murdaugh reportedly had more brushes with law - New York Post In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. 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.". This search continued until it was too dark, but resumed the next day. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Unsolved South Carolina on Pity us if we don't! Another description was vague, calling it simply an older model white compact or subcompact with blue interior. Unless new evidence emerges, our participation is over.". 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. 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. "We're now awaiting requests from law enforcement for further assistance. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides 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. But there were also nude photographs of women - including images of his then-girlfriend - and a pornographic magazine named "Stroke Off Tales.". The County Bank is accepting and receipting donations. Charles Wade Hampton was born on September 21st, 1952. Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. Within the year, the Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund had topped $20,000, for any information that would lead to answers for the missing eight-year old. Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency. Thats why its so important that we build that relationship with the community and we have that working relationship, he said. There were 14 shell casings of different makes and calibers in the area. 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.". It just stops as if she evaporated into the hot southern air of South Carolina. Police did not share the part of town in which the shooting happened. However, because of its size, they were able to determine that the victim had been thirteen years of age or younger. When the police finally arrived they found all three of the victims in a utility room in the back of the bank. Winds light and variable. 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. 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. You see, despite being let go, he was arrested in 1996 after drilling some holes in the wall of the women's bathroom. Major Sam Riley was stated: "Our department, as well as SLED and FBI personnel, are still actively investigating. Not only were Georgia and South Carolina preparing cases against him, but North Carolina and Florida were investigating him for similar child abductions and sexual assaults in their states. The documentation for this case included a lead sheet filed in April 2020, where an officer detailed dozens of interviews done in this case, along with tips detectives have followed up on. Cold Cases | Charleston, SC - Official Website These tips carried the investigation outside the Greenwood area, with investigators pursuing leads to as far away at California. Nor am I criticizing those who have helped so far or those concerned citizens who have contributed to the present approximately $3000 reward. 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. 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. Hawkins had been standing with friends at about 3 a.m. that morning when a drive-by shooting left him hit once with a bullet that would later kill him, according to officials. It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. GREENWOOD, SC (WSPA) A rally in front of the Greenwood Courthouse brought families of nearly a half dozen murder victims together Tuesday afternoon. Theyre experiencing the most horrific thing thats probably ever happened to them in their life, Chaudoin said. Name. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF Category:South Carolina | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom They wanted to take their time, and waited until his holding period for the 1995 warrant was nearing its end to finally strike. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki 1,914 pages Explore Netflix series Episodes Case-Files Contributing in: United States South Carolina Category page Edit This Category is reserved for Unsolved Mysteries cases that occurred on South Carolina. A clear sky. Set in the middle of Greenwood itself, the reward fund started with a $2000 donation in her name. As of publishing, there have not been any new updates in relation to Kias disappearance and murder, nor about the investigation into it. In 1990, sadly, her remains were found by a deer hunter. Greenwood, SC Area Cold Cases | SpotCrime Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. Police interviewed a few of Paynes friends and coworkers but didnt learn much. 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 . Some parts 2023 Advameg, Inc. Crime rate in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map, Crime rate in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As police tried to pinpoint the motive for Hampton's confessions, the forensic analysis they were hoping to rely on brought back an intriguing proposition. 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. No one knows what really happened in that short span of time. 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. Despite this overwhelming sadness experienced by Bernetta and her family at this moment in time, the article had a profound effect on the community. 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. 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. Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. 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. Parker told police he heard a knock at the front door and opened it, then was shot by one of the two men there. The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund was established by Tuck Wooten, the Head of A.M. Tuck Inc. However, three - which took place in the middle of this crime spree - took place on a Thursday. From video footage they have been able to piece together that the car was a red Oldsmobile Alero made between 1999 and 2003. Malakia's bike was found near the apartment office. We're scraping the bottom right now.". I am not criticizing the authorities, who are working hard to solve the case. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. They combed around the Georgetown Apartments for most of the night, until the lack of light eventually led to them turning it around. They had been shot. However, they did say they would pursue new charges, should new evidence surface. 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. 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. 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. "As a result of interviews we are now looking for two men and two vehicles. It is what life is made of. We dont close out these cases because theyre so important.. People with information are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. 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. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . 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. 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. South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. Lawyer Shot After Wife and Son Were Killed Had Been Pushed Out of Law Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. There were six victims in total, all of whom - save for one - were young black girls between the ages of five and nine. 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. That's really bad for the family. Lori's sister, Debbie, tried to contact her regarding her mother's death, but couldn't find her. 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. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". 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. Not only did he have a snake tattoo on his upper arm, but he appeared eager to help investigators, giving blood and hair samples, as well as granting them permission to search his car and home. The days in which the victims were abducted varied, with three of the crimes happening on a Saturday, a Friday, and a Monday. Despite their efforts, no evidence was found. 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. 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. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. Freeman died at the hospital while being treated for his injuries. We are also following up on similar situations that occur in this area and nationwide.". They had suspended the searches on Tuesday afternoon, after finding nothing in the two days out there. 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. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. 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. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. We began checking missing children cases and conducted three weeks of intensive searches for additional remains, but we didn't find anything.". One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. Murders of Pamela Buckley and James Freund - Wikipedia You have permission to edit this article. 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. Every state has its unsolved mysteries and South Carolina, unfortunately, is not without its own. At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. I think it's important to note this, not because I definitively believe him to be the person responsible for Kia Logan's abduction or murder. He has a folder in his office with the reports on each of these cases, and he said hes read some of them upwards of 15 times. He was more than willing to continue talking, even answering questions about his prior sexual assault conviction from 1981. ", 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.". In all of the sexual assaults, the victim profile remained largely the same. He was described as being between thirty-five and forty years old, with slender ad pointed facial features. Rally for Greenwood unsolved murders | WSPA 7NEWS At the time of his arrest, he was forty-four years old, and was driving a white 1986 Dodge 600. 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. Greenwood County Sheriff Giles Daniel stated that calls were still pouring in about Kia, either potential sightings or people that may know something. We won't share it with anyone else. Dennis Beauford, the responding deputy, ended up staying the night on the couch of the Logan family, waiting for there to be any ransom calls or communication from Kia herself. 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South CarolinaThank for watching! The murder is being investigated by the Columbia Police Department. 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. Love South Carolina? Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. By Thursday, May 19th, the mood in the Georgetown apartment complex had changed dramatically. 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. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. "We're looking for a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. On May 30th, over two weeks after Kia had disappeared, investigators were still optimistic. Discuss Greenwood, South Carolina (SC) on our hugely popular South Carolina forum. By this point, her family had begun to fear the worst. They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. Dennis Beauford, one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene, stated: "It was a pretty Sunday afternoon. There was a fight among a group of teenagers and several shots were fired. A little after nine o'clock that evening, Kia was reported missing to the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department. 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. 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. Payne was shot at about 9:40 p.m. June 12 at 117 Klugh St. Officers arrived on scene with a medical bag, sealing two bullet wounds to his chest. Video from the area showed a car with someone hanging out of the back passenger window and firing. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery offers an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga centered around disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. Officers did find an air pistol at a nearby street corner, along with a car with a shot-out window. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. "The murder kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct charges have been dropped. It is known that her friends lost track of her in the crowd so they assumed that she had a ride home and left. Zykevious Ramsey, 22, was shot early Tuesday morning on the steps of his apartment and later died while at the hospital. At around 8:15pm, Kia decided she wanted to return home and thus grabbed her bike and left. The case surrounding Kias disappearance was initially investigated as a simple missing persons report. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. 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. The author of the newspaper article noted that as she spoke about her daughter, Bernetta was clutching a photo of Kia. The results were testing alongside DNA taken from Kia's parents, Bernetta and Richard, and this time, it proved consistent. They also tried to see if her disappearance was tied to other missing persons cases from surrounding states. 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. Unsolved Murdaugh Murders Expose Years of South Carolina Mysteries Alex Murdaugh, the powerful lawyer who asked a handyman to kill him, had a spectacular fall from grace. 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. On October 1st, 1990 - a Monday - a hunter was in an area just outside of Newberry, South Carolina. 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.. 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.