DNA testing didn't match him in one of the Georgia cases. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. Police called for EMS, but Padgett looked badly injured so officers loaded him into a patrol car to drive him to the hospital. Police spoke with about 20 people in the area, but few had anything to report. All six victims had a similar look and profile, with all living close to the highway, and they were all sexually assaulted before being abandoned in a public area, bar one, who was not assaulted and later dropped off at a gas station, where she called for help. (LogOut/ 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. While police began a search of his home and his vehicle, he openly admitted to several things. 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. 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. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. 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. 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. Online"10 Books to Cozy Up With This December"PopSugar A popular sorority girl. Map Browse By State. However, three - which took place in the middle of this crime spree - took place on a Thursday. 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. Three days following Hawkins slaying, police found about 40 shell casings in the area around 526 Sumter St. South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. On Sept. 3, 2007 at 1:00 am the victim LaKavis Henicks age 13 was shot to death in the parking lot of the Gaz-Bah at 6201 Farrow Rd. On May 15th, 1988, all seemed to be well in the world. Many of these details matched up with what police had heard from the victims themselves - but others did not. 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. GREENWOOD, S.C. Cody Hawkins, 24, was shot and killed May 19 about 2:50 a.m. He had bloodstains on his clothes and was trying to tell officers something, but he didnt speak English. They were able to release a composite of him, which aired on the evening news, along with a description of his vehicle, which was believed to be a mid-1970s dark blue or black Chevrolet Monte Carlo. While investigators were still interviewing witnesses and scouring evidence, like video from nearby security cameras along Pearl Street, for any leads, they had to begin working on the next shooting. Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. Officers did find an air pistol at a nearby street corner, along with a car with a shot-out window. There is nothing left to tell about this case unfortunately. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. "We're now awaiting requests from law enforcement for further assistance. 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. No closure. Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. 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. Invalid password or account does not exist. Unfortunately, none came, and the next day, they had to begin investigating Kia's disappearance in earnest. In an idling SUV, Sherwin Gittens was found dead by police. She then contacted Lori's daughter and found that she hadn't heard from Lori since 1992. While he had previously confessed to the crime, he recanted, resulting in the rape charge being dropped due to a lack of evidence. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. In 1990, sadly, her remains were found by a deer hunter. Police took Hampton out of jail, and drove him to many of the landmarks and locations from the child abductions. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. 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. Peace stated that Hampton had falsely confessed to "one, maybe two murders in Georgia and one in Columbia. This is when police spoke to Hampton's ex-wife and girlfriend, who told them things about Charles that made them think he was a viable suspect. They were still investigating new avenues, but none of them led anywhere. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! 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. He and. 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. 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. The sketch came from the witness sightings of the second person-of-interest, who had been driving the dark mid-70's model Monte Carlo. Sadly, if we forget then so do others and no one should be forgotten. 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. There were 14 shell casings of different makes and calibers in the area. Remember, this is before the trial of OJ Simpson, so DNA testing was very much in its infancy. 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. In fact, police noted that he might have been a little TOO eager at times. [6] City-data.com does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information on this site. We couldn't prove this case.". This is due to his alleged confessions, which he would later recant. 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. 1-888-CRIME SC (1-888-274-6372) The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Greenwood is 1,836 to 1. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Her picture appeared on ADVO cards in August and the story was recently on television. 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. He described not only his sex life - which included sex with both genders - but his prior criminal history. However, they did say they would pursue new charges, should new evidence surface. Six have gone unsolved. No one wants to think that there is evil that walks among us; an evil that stalks the dark and steals the light. Who was the man who found them? But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. 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. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Newspaper reports indicate that she was born with two holes in her heart, but she would turn out to be stronger than she knew. Eventually, DNA testing would show that, while the same suspect was involved in all six abductions, Hampton was not the one who committed them. He lifted his shirt and officers saw Perez had two gunshot wounds on his right side. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. "The 10 Best New Mystery and Thriller Books of December are Giving Us Literal Chills"E! Calling them cold cases implies they're no longer active, but Chaudoin. 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South CarolinaThank for watching! He voluntarily provided blood and hair samples. 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. If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. The searches and canvass of the apartment complex continued on into Tuesday, but police wouldn't release another public statement until May 18th - Wednesday. 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. 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. I feel confident such an impressive reward, with the proper publicity, will help the authorities solve this mystery AND our community may well have made the solution possible. Two months into the investigation, at least one thing was crystal clear: Kia Logan may have been missing, but she most certainly wasn't going to be forgotten. Date of Death: October 25, 2011 Location: 15 Spartanburg Court, Apt. It's hard not to compare the crime to that of Tiffany Nelson, a nine-year old that went missing from Augusta, Georgia in June of 1994. Freeman was shot at about 10 p.m. July 15, 2018 at a Sumter Street residence. All of their friends in the apartment complex had since gone home, so Renee knew that Kia wasn't still out there. 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 . Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. It's a town of roughly 20,000 people - a population level that hasn't really changed in over thirty years. Login; . He openly confessed to committing several of the child abductions, providing explicit details of the subsequent sexual assaults. Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin said he keeps a file in his office of the departments unsolved homicide cases, to keep them fresh in his mind and revisit them when he can. In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. Unsolved Cases - City of Columbia Police Department Unsolved Cases If you can help solve any of these crimes or think that you may know something no matter how small, please contact the Violent Crimes Against Persons Unit - VCAP at: (803)545-3525. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . Sending it off for testing, they had to hope that they could uncover any evidence that could help lead them to the culprit. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. 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. 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. In-between the apartment's basketball court and her front door, this little girl had disappeared. As the years pass, the mystery just intensifies. Can't we show at least as much concern for the fate of a child? Riley, a famously tight-lipped officer, stated: "We're treating it strictly as a missing persons report. A Mother and Son Are Found Murdered, Deepening a Mystery in South Carolina. Low 44F. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". Change). Most concerning, though, were torn out magazine images of children - a discovery that made investigators think that there might be more to this deviant than meets the eye. 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. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. I only say "likely" because I legitimately can't find any record of him online or in the press since 2007. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. Kias case was featured on a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Soon, the one-year anniversary of Kia's disappearance had come-and-gone. This was when he was transferred to a jail in Greenwood county - the same county where Kia Logan had disappeared from in 1988. One man who had met the couple stated that the man, Jacques, had told him that his father was a physician in Canada. He also had scars along his right arm and stomach, which matched up with what one of the younger victims had described. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. "I hope wherever she (Kia) is, she's safe and alive and she'll be home soon. On June 22nd, 2007 - a Friday - the charges against Charles Wade Hampton were suddenly dropped. This would come up later in the story, so please keep that in-mind. Greenwood County Sheriff Giles Daniel stated that calls were still pouring in about Kia, either potential sightings or people that may know something. Rewards are being offered. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery offers an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga centered around disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. Cold cases isnt the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his departments unsolved homicides. The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. 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. 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. People with information are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. This would prove to be one of the only clues found during the course of the investigation. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. 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. They were both prepared to pursue the death penalty in the upcoming criminal trial, which they were allowed to for any kidnapping or sexual assault charges when the victim was eleven years old or younger. Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. 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 case surrounding Kias disappearance was initially investigated as a simple missing persons report.