It seems that there may be been two suspects who were trying to rob the bank. 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. Perez took police to another man lying on a concrete pad behind an apartment. 13-36901 (Murder) However, they did say they would pursue new charges, should new evidence surface. The lone exception was a five-year old girl with tan, olive-colored skin who had dark feaures. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Unsolved South Carolina on They're no closer today than they were back in 1988 when Kia was snatched up. However, one of the most interesting notes of this sketch came from a description, which noted that the suspect had a pockmarked face. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. 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. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF 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. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. On May 15th, 1988, all seemed to be well in the world. The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. Unfortunately for them, as soon as Hampton went to jail for Peeping Tom, he stopped cooperating with investigators. Cold cases isnt the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his departments unsolved homicides. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. 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. There were approximately 17,721 homicides in South Carolina between 1980 and 2019, according to the Project: Cold Case website for unsolved homicide statistics. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. A missing persons report was filed with the county, where Kia is listed as being 4'2" tall, and weighing about 60 to 70 pounds. Thats why its so important that we build that relationship with the community and we have that working relationship, he said. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Greenwood is 1,836 to 1. Unidentified Remains The SLED Forensic Art Unit assists local law enforcement agencies in Unidentified Remains cases. The Unraveling of the Murdaugh Dynasty: Unsolved Murders, Insurance Fraud and Missing Millions Since South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh admitted last week to trying to stage his own murder, the . 6 Infamous Bone Chilling Unsolved Mysteries In South CarolinaThank for watching! His mother, who lives in New York, hasn't heard anything about the case for a long time. 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. 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. Soon, the one-year anniversary of Kia's disappearance had come-and-gone. 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. Theyre experiencing the most horrific thing thats probably ever happened to them in their life, Chaudoin said. SLED - South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Police spoke with about 20 people in the area, but few had anything to report. 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. Anyone with information on those cases is urged to call law enforcement. It took over a decade, but Kia's parents were finally given answers as to what had happened ot their daughter. Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. Low 44F. Remember, this is before the trial of OJ Simpson, so DNA testing was very much in its infancy. It just stops as if she evaporated into the hot southern air of 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. The composite, for all of its intrigue, led to no real suspects in the surrounding area. 1966 triple murder still sends shock waves through Hendersonville In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at Lander University, in her hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina. An unsolved murder. Major Sam Riley was stated: "Our department, as well as SLED and FBI personnel, are still actively investigating. Freeman died at the hospital while being treated for his injuries. Uncovered: Unsolved South Carolina Murders When does she have the time, you ask? It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. 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. He reported him missing at 10 a.m. that morning. 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. It was occupied by an older white male with graying hair. I know that we dont want to think about such things happening in our own backyard, but we must. 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. While he had previously confessed to the crime, he recanted, resulting in the rape charge being dropped due to a lack of evidence. 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. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. As the years pass, the mystery just intensifies. He would be sixty-five years old as of this episode's recording, and there's only a brief mention of him on the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's sex offender registry. They had been shot. Call CrimeStoppers 843-554-1111. Welldo you really need that much sleep? However, the criminal trial would never come to be. Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. 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. Another description was vague, calling it simply an older model white compact or subcompact with blue interior. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . 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. Charles Wade Hampton later plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges, which stemmed from him lying to investigators. But now a parent's worst fear was beginning to creep into their bones the realization that she had not been okay, that something HAD happened to her. On October 1, 1990, a deer hunter was walking along a pasture in a wooded area on US Forest Service Property in Newberry County, South Carolina. 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. 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. Bernetta, the girls' mother, began looking around the apartment complex for eight-year old Kia. With these two most recent homicides, the number of unsolved slayings in recent years for Greenwood County climbs to four. 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) 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. 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. Also, the Kia Reward Fund is growing and we are hopeful that this will bring someone forward with positive information. 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. He openly confessed to committing several of the child abductions, providing explicit details of the subsequent sexual assaults. "Every time I open up the evidence room door, I see the bike and it's haunted me. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. He said its unlikely that no one saw the shooter, but rather that witnesses dont feel comfortable sharing what they saw. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. This meant that investigators now had half-a-decade to try and work out a case against him. 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. Pity us if we don't! 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. Throughout the beginning of the search for her daughter, Bernetta begged the kidnapper to show some mercy toward Kia. 8th Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace, who had replaced William Townes Jones in the preceding half-decade, had plenty to say about this decision. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. 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. Renee and their friend decided to stay at the court for a short while longer. Research revealed that Lori had married Nathaniel Richardson in February of 1994 and that is where the trail grows cold. The mid 1980's was the last contact Lori had with her family. Malakia Logan Unresolved These tips carried the investigation outside the Greenwood area, with investigators pursuing leads to as far away at California. But, let a Carolina or a Clemson sports event take the forefront and emotions bubble over throughout the community. She lived with her mother and her sister, Renee, in an apartment complex just north of the rural city of Greenwood, South Carolina. 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. 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. Investigators in Union County asking for help in 9 unsolved murder cases Choose wisely! 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. ", 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.". At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. 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. The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average. 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. It was early morning, October 2001 on Interstate 526. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. Murdered Paul Murdaugh reportedly had more brushes with law - New York Post There are just no leads or evidence to go on even though the police push every avenue they come across. Witnesses told officers they saw two men running from Pearl Street onto Osborne Avenue. Both of these generated more leads of possible sightings of Kia Logan and suspects bearing a resemblance of the composite of a man wanted for questioning. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". 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. Map Browse By State. You can also contact the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000. 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. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. But we can't prove it. He had bloodstains on his clothes and was trying to tell officers something, but he didnt speak English. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. He was taken to Self Regional Medical Center for treatment, where he died of his injury. She had one sister, named Renee, and the three lived in an apartment complex just north of Greenwood, South Carolina. Video from the area showed a car with someone hanging out of the back passenger window and firing. The location of the skull was four miles east of the city of Newberry and 35 miles east of Greenwood. 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. This was a random act, which seems to be his technique.". Its not just about arresting a suspect, Chaudoin said, its about building a case the states prosecutors can get a conviction with. South Carolina Department of Social Services; South Carolina Dept Health & Environmental Control; . This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. It happened around 9:15 p.m. at a home. Upon being let out of prison, he was immediately re-arrested for the 1995 abduction and rape of a 7-year-old victim from Richland County, South Carolina. He had a pockmarked face with pointed features, and his hair is believed to have been brownish with sun streaks. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency. "As a result of interviews we are now looking for two men and two vehicles. Police also found actual pairs of children's underwear in his laundry, which then sent in for forensic testing. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. 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. And in that time, more terrifying and intriguing mysteries would present themselves. 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. This search continued until it was too dark, but resumed the next day. The shooting on Sumter Street happened at 8:45 p.m. May 22, and while a car and two apartments were damaged, no one was injured. However, because of its size, they were able to determine that the victim had been thirteen years of age or younger. His height was listed in the range of 5'8" or 5'9", and he was of slight build, in the weight range of 150 pounds. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years. He had green eyes, with brown hair, a brown mustache, and a few days' worth of graying stubble at the time of his arrest in 1996. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. In an idling SUV, Sherwin Gittens was found dead by police. That's all we've got. 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 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. Then, when her family and former-sheriff Sam Riley got involved, they realized that the initial reward fund - which had been established for information - had remained untouched for around two decades. Create a password that only you will remember. However, Kia lived with her mother, Bernetta Logan Baylor, who was a teacher at a nearby middle school. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Malakia's bike was found near the apartment office. I am criticizing the rest of us who thrive in our community yet appear apathetic. Despite this overwhelming sadness experienced by Bernetta and her family at this moment in time, the article had a profound effect on the community. Charles Wade Hampton was born on September 21st, 1952. Malakia Logan | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom On this Sunday afternoon, in the middle of May, all seemed to be well. Crime rate in Greenwood, SC - City-Data They had no evidence that he had actually committed the crime, but they had his confession on-record, and at the very least, he had lied to investigators and caused them to waste valuable time by pursuing him as the suspect. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. At the scene, people were scrambling into cars and driving off, including someone driving Hawkins to the hospital for treatment. 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. To this day, the case remains open and unsolved. Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. They learned about how he constantly changed his hair color, and had driven a number of cars over the last few years: some of which included a 1977 maroon Dodge Aspen, a 1965 Chevy Bel Air, and a bronze-colored Chrysler. City-data.com does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information on this site. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster told the media: "It was obvious that it was the skull of a child. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Alex Murdaugh took the witness stand on Feb. 23, Day 23 of his trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.When Murdaugh . 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. 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. On the northern outskirts of the town is the small country airport, which consists of a single elongated runway. 5C Albert Adams, known as "New York" in the Greenline community, was shot and killed on the front porch of his apartment. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. DNA testing didn't match him in one of the Georgia cases. Throughout the 30+ year investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. He and. (LogOut/ Online"10 Books to Cozy Up With This December"PopSugar A popular sorority girl. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. When her sisters were questioned, only the 6-year-old stated that a man with a 'magic' hat came and took Jessica away. South Carolina's Number One Unsolved Mystery - OnlyInYourState South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. 8 Infamous Unsolved Mysteries In SC - OnlyInYourState By this point, her family had begun to fear the worst. 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. 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. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. Peace stated that Hampton had falsely confessed to "one, maybe two murders in Georgia and one in Columbia. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. While police work to find the people responsible for killing Hawkins and Ramsey, they are also still investigating the July 15, 2018 shooting death of Quatavious Freeman. 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. Sam Riley, who had been a Major in the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, had recently been elected Sheriff.