The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. 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). Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. Unidentified Remains The SLED Forensic Art Unit assists local law enforcement agencies in Unidentified Remains cases. Police have long theorized that the abduction - and later murder - of Kia Logan was a crime of opportunity. He reported him missing at 10 a.m. that morning. 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. Eventually, DNA testing would show that, while the same suspect was involved in all six abductions, Hampton was not the one who committed them. 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. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. Victims advocates play an important role in communicating with the families of people killed, and officers work to be up-front and communicate often with the families. 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. Three years later, in 1996, Newberry County investigators asked a private genetics lab in North Carolina to perform mitochondrial DNA testing, using DNA obtained from Kias parents, which suggested the skull did, in fact, belong to Kia, a fact that was confirmed upon the skull being sent to the FBI lab in Washington in 1998. 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 was not long until 52-year-old Charles Wade Hampton, a maintenance worker at the Hard Labor Creek State Park rest stop in Georgia and a former employee of the Department of Transportation, came onto police radar. He also soon recanted all of his prior confessions, meaning that police had to start back from square one. 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.". There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. 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. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. Advertisement Investigators with the Greenwood Police. However, they did say they would pursue new charges, should new evidence surface. 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. They are asking local law enforcement to. The composite is the latest thing we have and we're trying to develop leads from that. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. With the searches beginning to run dry, a reward fund for information was established by Tuck Wooten, the head of the A.M. Tuck Inc. concrete company. You have permission to edit this article. It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. Police have shared that Kias abduction was a crime of opportunity, and that Hampton did not know the young girl. This meant that investigators now had half-a-decade to try and work out a case against him. Freeman died at the hospital while being treated for his injuries. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. Malakia Kia Zali Logan was born on August 1, 1979 to parents Richard and Bernetta Logan. 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. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. 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! 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. 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. BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. (WIS) - Two men died in a shooting Friday night in Batesburg-Leesville, police confirmed. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. 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 . 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 e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. 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. They haven't made any positive identification yet. But Mr. Murdaugh, part of a prominent family of South Carolina lawyers, has denied any involvement in the unsolved killings . No closure. Another witness described seeing a vehicle pull behind a nearby church and turn its lights off, then speed past heading south. 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 was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. Police called for EMS, but Padgett looked badly injured so officers loaded him into a patrol car to drive him to the hospital. 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. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. One person said they saw a man running from the area between two of the apartment complexs buildings. 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) Sheriff Foster continued: "We are reasonably sure, at this point, the skull was not dug from a grave." We began checking missing children cases and conducted three weeks of intensive searches for additional remains, but we didn't find anything.". The Murder of Malakia Logan - Stories of the Unsolved And, if his father was a physician in Canada, wouldn't he have been looking for them? By September 15th, Kia had been missing for four months. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. 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. We won't share it with anyone else. As Hampton prepared for his five-year sentence, he was facing investigations and charges from four separate states. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. Anyone with information on those cases is urged to call law enforcement. Thats why its so important that we build that relationship with the community and we have that working relationship, he said. His hair was dark blonde, which could vary anywhere between blonde and dark brown. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. However, no calls were received and the real investigation into her disappearance began. Her picture appeared on ADVO cards in August and the story was recently on television. He was taken to Self Regional Medical Center for treatment, where he died of his injury. This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. It is believed that the subjects were attempting to rob his neighbor's apartment. 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. Her father was the mayor of Saluda, a small town in South Carolina, and her mother was a teacher at a local middle school. The charges against Hampton was dropped due to lack of evidence. You hate to have any murders, but I think a 91% solve rate is probably one of the highest ones out there, especially for a department our size and with that number of them, he said. Police took Hampton out of jail, and drove him to many of the landmarks and locations from the child abductions. It's like a depression has set in.". He had been previously terminated due to unexcused absences and excessive tardiness, but that didn't stop him from getting into trouble. "We're looking for a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. Carolyn Kelley, the apartment/property manager that lived in the apartments with her daughter and granddaughter, had noticed a complete overhaul of the environment. If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. 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. Soon, children began playing outside of the Georgetown apartments once again, Kia's disappearance becoming an outlier to a safe community. "He'll get credit for time served and good behavior. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. He recognized one of the men but wasnt able to give police a description before EMS staff arrived to treat him. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. Through the rest of the year, police would remain relatively silent as to where their investigation stood. When they searched his home, they found several photographs of children in underwear, as well as various photos of nude adults - including pictures of Hampton himself. Anyone with information on any of Greenwood's homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. There was a fight among a group of teenagers and several shots were fired. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. And in that time, more terrifying and intriguing mysteries would present themselves. The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average. 1-888-CRIME SC (1-888-274-6372) However, it wasn't until 2002 that prosecutors began firing off the big guns at Hampton. She had one sister, named Renee, and the three lived in an apartment complex just north of Greenwood, South Carolina. 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. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. This not being enough, the skull would later be sent to an FBI lab in 1998. 8 Infamous Unsolved Mysteries In SC - OnlyInYourState They also tried to see if her disappearance was tied to other missing persons cases from surrounding states. On September 23, 1992, Dail Dinwiddie vanished into the night as she was walking along Harden Street in Columbia, SC. Witnesses said they heard the shooting and one gave a description of a suspect but left before officers could question them further. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. "The murder kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct charges have been dropped. Discuss Greenwood, South Carolina (SC) on our hugely popular South Carolina forum. 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.. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years.

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