Throughout the beginning of the search for her daughter, Bernetta begged the kidnapper to show some mercy toward Kia. 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. Dennis Beauford, the deputy who had responded to the incident and originally stayed the night, continued to feel a personal connection to the story. Low 44F. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. All these cases are active. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. 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. When her sisters were questioned, only the 6-year-old stated that a man with a 'magic' hat came and took Jessica away. cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. 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. Every state has its unsolved mysteries and South Carolina, unfortunately, is not without its own. Greenwood County Sheriff Giles Daniel stated that calls were still pouring in about Kia, either potential sightings or people that may know something. Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. I am criticizing the rest of us who thrive in our community yet appear apathetic. Hampton would plead guilty to his original felony Peeping Tom charge, meaning that he would be spending the next five years in state prison. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Soon, children began playing outside of the Georgetown apartments once again, Kia's disappearance becoming an outlier to a safe community. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. It had grown to a total of $20,328.68. Part of me is missing and I need to find it.". These two men were not immediately believed to be suspects, but were wanted for questioning. Choose wisely! 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. He had been handcuffed, bound with duct tape, and shot in the head. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster told the media: "It was obvious that it was the skull of a child. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. 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) This year my daughter Renee will go, but I will stay here to answer the phone, just in case. I criticize us for not raising such an uproar it would be heard across this nation .. Sam Riley, who had been a Major in the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, had recently been elected Sheriff. She lived with her mother and her sister, Renee, in an apartment complex just north of the rural city of Greenwood, South Carolina. However, the criminal trial would never come to be. "We're now awaiting requests from law enforcement for further assistance. They haven't made any positive identification yet. Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. 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. Friends were celebrating the warm weather by swimming in the apartment pools, kids were playing outside among others their age, and families were barbecuing and picnicking in the community areas. They combed around the Georgetown Apartments for most of the night, until the lack of light eventually led to them turning it around. It is what life is made of. 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. It all pointed to a very confusing puzzle, which police didn't know how to make sense of. It's like a depression has set in.". Cold cases isnt the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his departments unsolved homicides. DNA testing confirmed her identity. The first man was described as being white, older in age and with greying hair, and was seen driving a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. She said that she didn't actually see him, but his bedcovers were pulled up so she assumed that he was asleep. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. 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.". They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. 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. They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. The composite is the latest thing we have and we're trying to develop leads from that. It wasn't until the sister returned to the apartment complex half-an-hour later that anyone realized this eight-year old was missing. 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. You see, in 1981, he had been arrested and convicted for the rape of a sixteen-year old, telling interrogators that his seminal fluid had been used to convict him. The physical search didn't produce any leads or clues. Renee and their friend decided to stay at the court for a short while longer. Stabbed Kias case was featured on a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. As Hampton prepared for his five-year sentence, he was facing investigations and charges from four separate states. Police were later able to link him to a farm, which was owned by a friend. Bullets damaged the window of a residence and shot through a TV inside. (LogOut/ You see, despite being let go, he was arrested in 1996 after drilling some holes in the wall of the women's bathroom. A bouncer remembers talking to her around 1:30 a.m. before she walked out of the club. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Through interviews, police learned two or three men had come over to the house prior to the shooting. 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. The responding deputy ended up spending the night on the Logan familys couch, in case someone called with a ransom or if Kia herself somehow managed to communicate with them. Her picture appeared on ADVO cards in August and the story was recently on television. 13-36901 (Murder) Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . 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. You have permission to edit this article. 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. You never know if that tiny piece of information could flesh out the full puzzle. But there were also nude photographs of women - including images of his then-girlfriend - and a pornographic magazine named "Stroke Off Tales.". I know that we dont want to think about such things happening in our own backyard, but we must. Georgetown has always been a family-type community. He stated about the confirmation of the skull belonging to Kia: "I felt for a long time that the skull was hers, but I hoped it wasn't. However, with DNA testing being in its infancy, it would be years before they could definitively test the skull for forensic proof. Police called for EMS, but Padgett looked badly injured so officers loaded him into a patrol car to drive him to the hospital. 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. "He'll get credit for time served and good behavior. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. If you know any information about this crime, you can contact the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department at (864) 942-8600. Scary. Police spoke with about 20 people in the area, but few had anything to report. Despite their efforts, no evidence was found. Despite that, police wouldn't have any real leads to follow up on until October of the next year, 1990. 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. 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. Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency.
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