The charges against Hampton was dropped due to lack of evidence. Unsolved Crimes - Crime Stoppers of The Midlands However, they did say they would pursue new charges, should new evidence surface. 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. When the police finally arrived they found all three of the victims in a utility room in the back of the bank. He also had scars along his right arm and stomach, which matched up with what one of the younger victims had described. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF 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. Malakia Logan Unresolved Get more stories delivered right to your email. In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. 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. He included details, some of which convinced police that he had involvement, but others they viewed skeptically. With these two most recent homicides, the number of unsolved slayings in recent years for Greenwood County climbs to four. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Her granddaughter, Ashley, had been friends with both Kia and Renee Logan, and had actually been playing with the two on the basketball court shortly before Kia disappeared. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. In the weeks since Kia had gone missing, Bernetta struggled to leave the phone for any prolonged period of time. 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. 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.". When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. If you know any information about this crime, you can contact the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department at (864) 942-8600. 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. It is what life is made of. You can not have good without a bad. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. Early on in questioning, Charles admitted that he often changed his hair color. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com Jun 5, 2019 Zykevious Ramsey's sister, Jada Leverette, said her brother was a. On October 1, 1990, Malakia's remains were found in a wooded area on U.S. Forest Service property in Newberry County. Low 44F. 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. This was a random act, which seems to be his technique.". Bullets damaged the window of a residence and shot through a TV inside. 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. 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. Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency. No one wants to think that there is evil that walks among us; an evil that stalks the dark and steals the light. 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. She lived with her mother and her sister, Renee, in an apartment complex just north of the rural city of Greenwood, 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. South Carolina Department of Social Services; South Carolina Dept Health & Environmental Control; . The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. The Murder of Malakia Logan - Stories of the Unsolved Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. 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 . Peace stated that Hampton had falsely confessed to "one, maybe two murders in Georgia and one in Columbia. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with credit for time served and good behaviour. Soon, children began playing outside of the Georgetown apartments once again, Kia's disappearance becoming an outlier to a safe community. GREENWOOD, SC (WSPA) A rally in front of the Greenwood Courthouse brought families of nearly a half dozen murder victims together Tuesday afternoon. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. It was occupied by an older white male with graying hair. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. In the afternoons you see small children running and playing, riding skateboards, that kind of thing. He was more than willing to continue talking, even answering questions about his prior sexual assault conviction from 1981. Police department Public Information Officer Jonathan Link said investigators are continuing to work with the information theyve gathered in each of these cases, and that theyve tried to get more information through interviewing witnesses and other people of interest. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. Research revealed that Lori had married Nathaniel Richardson in February of 1994 and that is where the trail grows cold. Anyone with information on any of Greenwood's homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. 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. It bothers me that we seem willing to accept this obvious crime against a child without a public uproar. Police noted that he had a snake tattoo on his upper arm, as well as his initials - C.H. An eight-year-old girl that lived in this community was out playing with her sister and a friend on their apartment complex's basketball court. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Trending pages Kari Lynn Nixon Dana Satterfield Superbike Motorsports Murders Jessica Gutierrez Michele Whitaker The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund was established by Tuck Wooten, the Head of A.M. Tuck Inc. "It's definitely changed the lifestyle here. The County Bank is accepting and receipting donations. Speaking about the indictment, longtime Greenwood County Sheriff Sam Riley stated: "There was no relationship between him and Kia. Riley, a famously tight-lipped officer, stated: "We're treating it strictly as a missing persons report. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. 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. Zykevious Ramsey, 22, was shot early Tuesday morning on the steps of his apartment and later died while at the hospital. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 254.8. I am not criticizing the authorities, who are working hard to solve the case. While some descriptions of this suspect varied - such as at least one of the girls calling the suspect "fat in his tummy" and the perpetrator's hair color varying - these details were all universally agreed upon. Despite that, police wouldn't have any real leads to follow up on until October of the next year, 1990. Date of Death: October 25, 2011 Location: 15 Spartanburg Court, Apt. 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. 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 Greenwood County Sheriffs Office can be reached at 864-942-8632, or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. Welldo you really need that much sleep? Unfortunately, none came, and the next day, they had to begin investigating Kia's disappearance in earnest. 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. Rewards are being offered. 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. 8 months since shooting death of Cody Hawkins, family still - WYFF All these cases are active. In 1990, sadly, her remains were found by a deer hunter. Zykevious Ramseys sister, Jada Leverette, said her brother was a loving, quiet and kind person, and she didnt know who or why someone killed him early Tuesday morning. Murdaugh undergoes cross-examination in his own murder trial. 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. There were 14 shell casings of different makes and calibers in the area. The results were testing alongside DNA taken from Kia's parents, Bernetta and Richard, and this time, it proved consistent. 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. It was early morning, October 2001 on Interstate 526. However, they were not positively identified until 1998, ten years after she vanished. Dispatchers told police several men were seen running behind a residence on Sumter street and dropping guns off. It all pointed to a very confusing puzzle, which police didn't know how to make sense of. Hampton would plead guilty to his original felony Peeping Tom charge, meaning that he would be spending the next five years in state prison. It hasn't been updated with any of his current information. In the past 21 years the departments digital records system goes back, there were 55 murders reported to the police. After 11'000 days, 30 years and 29 of those years on death row, Edward Lee Elmore was freed in 2012. 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. "He'll get credit for time served and good behavior. Sometimes officers get tips about rumors from the community, but these vague and often unsourced allegations arent enough to give police probable cause for an arrest. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. She didn't want to miss any potential calls from Kia. Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swa. Jessica, a pretty little girl with brown hair and sparkling brown eyes went to bed on June 5, 1986, along with her two sisters. Over the next week, the letter written by Dr. Wiggins inspired many to pledge support to the Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund. Anyone with information on any of Greenwoods homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. About two weeks earlier, Cody Hawkins was shot in an apparent drive-by shooting May 19 on Pearl Street, close to Osborne Avenue. Low 44F. He and. They wanted to take their time, and waited until his holding period for the 1995 warrant was nearing its end to finally strike. They had been shot. 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. 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! 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. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. 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.". He recognized one of the men but wasnt able to give police a description before EMS staff arrived to treat him. 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. Charleston Murdaugh Murders | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News - WCIV ", "People are definitely keeping small children in. He was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. I'm not the first to ask that question and so many more than me want to know the answer. Parker told police he heard a knock at the front door and opened it, then was shot by one of the two men there. 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. Upon receiving Bernettas call, a bulletin was released, featuring the young girls description, which informed the countys officers that she was an African American female who stood at 42; weighed 60 to 70 pounds; and was wearing yellow shorts, a yellow-and-white polka dot shirt, and slip-on shoes. You will receive your first email soon. These tips carried the investigation outside the Greenwood area, with investigators pursuing leads to as far away at California. There was a fight among a group of teenagers and several shots were fired. 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. Name: Date: Victims: Location : A: Sylvester Lewis ADAMS October 17, 1979: 1: South Carolina, USA: Quincy Javon ALLEN July-August 2002: 4: South Carolina, USA : John . You can also contact the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000. "Normally there would be a family get-together in Saluda. 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. Detectives will re-interview witnesses and relatives of victims to try and find any new leads. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. 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. As the hunter walked along a pasture fence, he stumbled upon a small object resembling a human skull. They all lived in housing close to the highway in-question, and they were all abducted from one location and led to another. The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at Lander University, in her hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina. But Mr. Murdaugh, part of a prominent family of South Carolina lawyers, has denied any involvement in the unsolved killings . 1)The only theory in the case is that Charles Wade Hampton is the person who abducted and murder Kia. She never came home with her sister. 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. The Sorority Murder - Greenwood County Library System - OverDrive Low 44F. 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. He said its unlikely that no one saw the shooter, but rather that witnesses dont feel comfortable sharing what they saw. Chaudoin provided the investigative reports detailing these open homicide investigations: A 911 caller found Parker lying on his bedroom floor at about 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, 2006 on Leonard Street. 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. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. Charles Wade Hampton later plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges, which stemmed from him lying to investigators. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. Her picture appeared on ADVO cards in August and the story was recently on television. But we can't prove it. 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. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. Subscribe Now:. 1966 triple murder still sends shock waves through Hendersonville Share your news tips and story ideas with us. We couldn't prove this case.". Low 44F. 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. It was this apartment complex where, on a Sunday evening in the middle of May, everything seemed right with the world. 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. 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. Tiffany, whose case I covered in the last episode, was found in a shallow grave roughly twenty miles away from where she had gone missing. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. The days in which the victims were abducted varied, with three of the crimes happening on a Saturday, a Friday, and a Monday. They are asking local law enforcement to. Lawyer Shot After Wife and Son Were Killed Had Been Pushed Out of Law Can't we show at least as much concern for the fate of a child? This would prove to be one of the only clues found during the course of the investigation. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. When her sister, Renee, went home approximately twenty to thirty minutes later, she was surprised to find out that Kia had not yet returned. There are just no leads or evidence to go on even though the police push every avenue they come across. (LogOut/ 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. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster told the media: "It was obvious that it was the skull of a child. 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. At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. A clear sky. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Greenwood is 1,836 to 1. Change). Richard Martin Age. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. Results: Unresolved. 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. CID Email Anonymous Tip Submission Crime Stoppers. 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. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. 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. If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. On Sunday, July 17, 1966, a brutal triple murder took three lives in Henderson County, N.C. To this day, after-effects from the grisly slayings of Vernon Shipman, Charles Glass and Louise Davis. Malakia Kia Zali Logan was born on August 1, 1979 to parents Richard and Bernetta Logan. The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Unsolved South Carolina on Six have gone unsolved. At this point, police were convinced it belonged to Kia, but were unable to positively conclude this, despite using dental records and the skull reconstruction techniques made available to them. Police have shared that Kias abduction was a crime of opportunity, and that Hampton did not know the young girl. On May 15th, 1988, all seemed to be well in the world. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ On June 22nd, 2007 - a Friday - the charges against Charles Wade Hampton were suddenly dropped. Will they ever find out what happened and who these two young people were? South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. On this Sunday afternoon, in the middle of May, all seemed to be well. 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. After this discovery, interrogators circled back around to Hampton. A forensic anthropologist with the University of South Carolina examined the skull and found it belonged to an African American child between the ages of 6 and 8. Major Sam Riley was quoted as saying: "These leads have carried the investigation outside of the Greenwood area.". 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. 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. 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. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. Who was the man who found them? All of their friends in the apartment complex had since gone home, so Renee knew that Kia wasn't still out there. No one was hurt when multiple shots were fired early Saturday in the area of Piedmont Avenue and Edgefield Street. Numerous people called in potential sightings of Kia or of people who may know something about the case. Many of these details matched up with what police had heard from the victims themselves - but others did not. In the weeks after, she would find it difficult to leave the telephone unattended, in case she missed a call from someone related to the case. 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. 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 . 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. 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. 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 saw donations come in from both residents of Greenwood and local businesses, resulting in a total of over $20,000 raised. Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. Calling them cold cases implies theyre no longer active, but Chaudoin said the unsolved homicides in Greenwoods city limits since 2001 are still top of mind for him. 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. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. It began to seem to police like he was making things up as he went along, but they were constantly reminded by the facts that something was amiss. People were arrested in connection with this case, a report said, but witnesses recanted their statements and the suspects were released for lack of evidence. Murders of Pamela Buckley and James Freund - Wikipedia They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. 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. By Thursday, May 19th, the mood in the Georgetown apartment complex had changed dramatically. He voluntarily provided blood and hair samples. That was when police announced that they were looking for two men, who had been seen in the vicinity of the Georgetown apartment complex late Sunday afternoon. South Carolina's Number One Unsolved Mystery - OnlyInYourState Sumter County Sheriff, SC