In an idling SUV, Sherwin Gittens was found dead by police. South Carolina's Number One Unsolved Mystery - OnlyInYourState We couldn't prove this case.". 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. Between 1995 and 1996, the states of Georgia and South Carolina began investigating a series of sexual assaults that occurred along a specific interstate. Unsolved Crimes - Crime Stoppers of The Midlands At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. In-between her 1988 disappearance and the 1998 confirmation that the skull belonged to her, they had prepared for the worst but anticipated Kia returning home. 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. The podcast is hosted by veteran journalist Anne Emerson, along with former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon and producer In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. "The murder kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct charges have been dropped. If you know any information about this crime, you can contact the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department at (864) 942-8600. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. Through interviews, police learned two or three men had come over to the house prior to the shooting. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. Unsolved Murdaugh Murders Expose Years of South Carolina Mysteries Trending pages Kari Lynn Nixon Dana Satterfield Superbike Motorsports Murders Jessica Gutierrez Michele Whitaker The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. 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. Officers spoke to a witness who said they were near Hawkins when he was shot. According to investigators, theyd managed to uncover strong evidence linking Hampton to Kias murder, including a version of events that included details only someone involved would know, which was enough for a Greenwood County grand jury to indict him on the charges. 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. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. DNA testing didn't match him in one of the Georgia cases. 24 Cause of Death. 8 months since shooting death of Cody Hawkins, family still - WYFF But there were also nude photographs of women - including images of his then-girlfriend - and a pornographic magazine named "Stroke Off Tales.". Three days following Hawkins slaying, police found about 40 shell casings in the area around 526 Sumter St. Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. He included details, some of which convinced police that he had involvement, but others they viewed skeptically. A bouncer remembers talking to her around 1:30 a.m. before she walked out of the club. Many of these details matched up with what police had heard from the victims themselves - but others did not. 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. South Carolina's unsolved mysteries - WYFF 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. However, because of its size, they were able to determine that the victim had been thirteen years of age or younger. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. 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. However, three - which took place in the middle of this crime spree - took place on a Thursday. During the investigation, police drove him around to many of the abduction sites, and while he was able to share some information, he didnt know any of the minute details the actual perpetrator would, leading them to believe he was making up his confessions. Sometime in the middle of the night, a man stole her from the bedroom without waking her. Murdaugh undergoes cross-examination in his own murder trial. He was accused of intentionally drilling the holes to Peep on unwitting victims, and arrested shortly after this was discovered. 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. While they were not considered suspects, investigators did want to question them. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. 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. Use at your own risk. It had been nearly five years since the original indictment was filed, accusing him of the abduction and murder of Kia Logan. 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. It is known that her friends lost track of her in the crowd so they assumed that she had a ride home and left. He reported him missing at 10 a.m. that morning. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. It is believed that the subjects were attempting to rob his neighbor's apartment. Share your news tips and story ideas with us. 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. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. I am criticizing the rest of us who thrive in our community yet appear apathetic. Category:South Carolina | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom This meant that police were pretty confident that the skull had been intentionally left there. His ex-wife and girlfriend agreed on that - they often helped him dye it, during time periods that turned out to correlate with the 1995 and 1996 sexual assaults. Research revealed that Lori had married Nathaniel Richardson in February of 1994 and that is where the trail grows cold. People with information are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. 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. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. James and Margaret Barnes walked into the bank together just after 1 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. the panic button had been pushed. Throughout the 30+ year investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. 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. Police also found actual pairs of children's underwear in his laundry, which then sent in for forensic testing. At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. He had a pockmarked face with pointed features, and his hair is believed to have been brownish with sun streaks. GREENWOOD, S.C. Cody Hawkins, 24, was shot and killed May 19 about 2:50 a.m. Welldo you really need that much sleep? The documentation for this case included a lead sheet filed in April 2020, where an officer detailed dozens of interviews done in this case, along with tips detectives have followed up on. 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. 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. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions. 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. Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. Despite their efforts, no evidence was found. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. Sadly, South Carolina and other states in the United States have hundreds, if not thousands, of unsolved cases. It took police a while to line up the suspect description because the vehicles in-question varied based on each witness: two described the vehicle they had been abducted in as a champagne-gold Mazda, while others pointed out either a white Toyota Corolla or a white Chevy Celebrity. Witnesses told officers they saw two men running from Pearl Street onto Osborne Avenue. You can not have good without a bad. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. 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. The only inconsistencies in the cases were the different times and days on which the abductions occurred, as well as the fact each victim cited a different vehicle being involved. South Carolina murderers list | Murderpedia 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. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. "The 10 Best New Mystery and Thriller Books of December are Giving Us Literal Chills"E! 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.. 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 . No one wants to think that there is evil that walks among us; an evil that stalks the dark and steals the light. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. He died later at the hospital. 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. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 254.8. This year my daughter Renee will go, but I will stay here to answer the phone, just in case. Over the coming weeks, the leads that Sheriff Giles Daniel was excited about began to dry up, either leading to dead ends or going nowhere at all. No one was hurt when multiple shots were fired early Saturday in the area of Piedmont Avenue and Edgefield Street. We began checking missing children cases and conducted three weeks of intensive searches for additional remains, but we didn't find anything.". Every state has its unsolved mysteries and South Carolina, unfortunately, is not without its own. He admitted to committing three child abductions in northern Georgia and confessed to having killed a child at an out-of-state farm. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . Charles Wade Hampton was born on September 21st, 1952. Results: Unresolved. Examining the world of solved and unsolved cases. Set in the middle of Greenwood itself, the reward fund started with a $2000 donation in her name. Nor am I criticizing those who have helped so far or those concerned citizens who have contributed to the present approximately $3000 reward. Sadly, he wasn't too far off. They wanted to take their time, and waited until his holding period for the 1995 warrant was nearing its end to finally strike. Perez took police to another man lying on a concrete pad behind an apartment. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. 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. 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. When asked about the rash of sexual assaults against children, he suspiciously stated that the person responsible "would know how not to get caught," at least this time. Homicides dont get closed. 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. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. 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. Complete the Cold Case Tip Form (PDF). 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 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 happened May 15, 1988, somewhere between the small park that was just 300 yards away from the apartment complex and her door. She hopped on her bike and began riding back to her mother's apartment - a distance no greater than three-hundred yards. 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. The searches and canvass of the apartment complex continued on into Tuesday, but police wouldn't release another public statement until May 18th - Wednesday. Officers spoke with several witnesses who described the vehicle the shooters were in, but have been unable to identify any suspects. 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. Sheriff Foster continued: "We are reasonably sure, at this point, the skull was not dug from a grave." Anyone with information on any of Greenwoods homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. He also soon recanted all of his prior confessions, meaning that police had to start back from square one. Lawyer Shot After Wife and Son Were Killed Had Been Pushed Out of Law Greenwood County Sheriff Giles Daniel stated that calls were still pouring in about Kia, either potential sightings or people that may know something. 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. After this discovery, interrogators circled back around to Hampton. Choose wisely! 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. 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. Video from the area showed a car with someone hanging out of the back passenger window and firing. It hasn't been updated with any of his current information. According to investigators, theyd had a case against him since 2000 and hed, in fact, been a suspect since 1996. They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. This meant that investigators now had half-a-decade to try and work out a case against him. Call CrimeStoppers 843-554-1111. 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. Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. Unsolved Crimes - Crime Stoppers of The Midlands Along Mount Pleasant Road also known as the S.C. 34 Highway he came across a badly decomposed human skull, which prompted him to contact the Newberry County Sheriffs Office. Malakia Kia Zali Logan was born on August 1, 1979 to parents Richard and Bernetta Logan. And in that time, more terrifying and intriguing mysteries would present themselves. Paul Murdaugh was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in the crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Cold Case Files | Greenville, SC - Official Website ", "People are definitely keeping small children in. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. This indictment was signed by 8th Circuit Solicitor William Townes Jones - the same William Townes Jones whose daughter, Townes, was given international popularity in the Harry Styles' song "Carolina.". Alex Murdaugh Surrenders After Trying to Fake His Own Killing: Latest