Subscribe Now:. 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. Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ. This was a random act, which seems to be his technique.". Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Hampton plead not guilty almost instantly. Learn how your comment data is processed. As another family started mourning Tuesday, Greenwood law enforcement had another shooting on their hands to solve. 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. You may remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward. "It's definitely changed the lifestyle here. Scary. He had a pockmarked face with pointed features, and his hair is believed to have been brownish with sun streaks. 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. As of this episode's recording, the abduction and murder of Malakia Zali Logan remains unresolved. 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. Unfortunately, none came, and the next day, they had to begin investigating Kia's disappearance in earnest. Childrens underwear was also found and sent away for forensic testing. Advertisement Investigators with the Greenwood Police. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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. However, it wasn't until 2002 that prosecutors began firing off the big guns at Hampton. At least four of the six could easily be solved if someone would step up and give us better info because they know.. It was occupied by an older white male with graying hair. When I drove up, and looked at that bike in the parking lot, I had a gut feeling something wasn't right and I called Riley at home. When Hampton stopped cooperating with police and withdrew his previous statements taking credit for the 1995 and 1996 sexual assaults, police realized that they needed to build a case around evidence, not just his comments. One person said they saw a man running from the area between two of the apartment complexs buildings. Calling them cold cases implies they're no longer active, but Chaudoin. 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. Cold cases isnt the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his departments unsolved homicides. Unfortunately for them, as soon as Hampton went to jail for Peeping Tom, he stopped cooperating with investigators. On the northern outskirts of the town is the small country airport, which consists of a single elongated runway. Some parts 2023 Advameg, Inc. Crime rate in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map, Crime rate in Greenwood, South Carolina (SC). Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. They combed around the Georgetown Apartments for most of the night, until the lack of light eventually led to them turning it around. It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. He included details, some of which convinced police that he had involvement, but others they viewed skeptically. Results: Unresolved. "We're also looking for a faded dark blue or black Monte Carlo, a mid-70's model. 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. At the time of his arrest, he was forty-four years old, and was driving a white 1986 Dodge 600. Parker told police he heard a knock at the front door and opened it, then was shot by one of the two men there. They had been playing basketball together when Malakia decided to go home. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. Date of Death: October 25, 2011 Location: 15 Spartanburg Court, Apt. She, also, went missing while riding her bike very close to her home, in a public setting. Get more stories delivered right to your email. We are also following up on similar situations that occur in this area and nationwide.". Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ Somewhere out there is someone who knows something about each one of these mysteries and it is up to us to not let them grow cold. The case surrounding Kias disappearance was initially investigated as a simple missing persons report. Early on in questioning, Charles admitted that he often changed his hair color. 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. Given the case theyd put together, they were prepared to pursue the death penalty. 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. While he had previously confessed to the crime, he recanted, resulting in the rape charge being dropped due to a lack of evidence. [6] He was described as being between thirty-five and forty years old, with slender ad pointed facial features. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. Speaking about the indictment, longtime Greenwood County Sheriff Sam Riley stated: "There was no relationship between him and Kia. Despite this overwhelming sadness experienced by Bernetta and her family at this moment in time, the article had a profound effect on the community. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP . 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 Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery offers an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga centered around disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. Within the year, the Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund had topped $20,000, for any information that would lead to answers for the missing eight-year old. She said that she didn't actually see him, but his bedcovers were pulled up so she assumed that he was asleep. GREENWOOD, S.C. Cody Hawkins, 24, was shot and killed May 19 about 2:50 a.m. It is what life is made of. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. 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. You can also contact the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at (803) 737-9000. Investigators had been pursuing clues as far away as California, and trying to tie Kia's disappearance to other stories of missing children in the surrounding states. Jessica, a pretty little girl with brown hair and sparkling brown eyes went to bed on June 5, 1986, along with her two sisters. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Missing Persons my Neighborhood alarm registration File a report Invalid password or account does not exist. The searches and canvass of the apartment complex continued on into Tuesday, but police wouldn't release another public statement until May 18th - Wednesday. They also tried to see if her disappearance was tied to other missing persons cases from surrounding states. 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. It happened May 15, 1988, somewhere between the small park that was just 300 yards away from the apartment complex and her door. 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. Winds light and variable. "As a result of interviews we are now looking for two men and two vehicles. 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. 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.". I am not criticizing the authorities, who are working hard to solve the case. The results were testing alongside DNA taken from Kia's parents, Bernetta and Richard, and this time, it proved consistent. One of those cases was Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. To this day, the case remains open and unsolved. Kias case was featured on a 1990 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. There were 14 shell casings of different makes and calibers in the area. 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. 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. That's all we've got. We won't share it with anyone else. He had been talking with someone on a moped when a dark car came up, and two people opened fire from within. When you get a case like, for example, in 2006 if we havent developed any suspects then I think we need to release a little more information and try to bring a little more to the board and see if we get some more probability of striking someones memory.. Charles Hampton agreed to give up blood and hair samples to investigators. He was described as white, between the ages of 35 and 40, 58 to 59 tall and 250 pounds. cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. "Reading his statement, you'd think that only the person who did that would know those details. Part of me is missing and I need to find it.". The families and friends of those slain deserve answers, and Chaudoin said he asks investigators to revisit these open cases every now and then. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. ", "People are definitely keeping small children in. It was a crime where no sexual assault had taken place, but centered around the abduction of a seven-year old victim in 1995. 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. We won't share it with anyone else. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". Create a password that only you will remember. You see, despite being let go, he was arrested in 1996 after drilling some holes in the wall of the women's bathroom. - tattooed on his right shoulder. When human remains are found and the identity of the deceased person is unknown, this unit provides artistic renderings of what the victim/person may have looked like in life. Coffee is her best friend and a good book cannot be beat! ddominguez@indexjournal.com. Kia and her sister, Renee, were playing with some friends on the basketball court, when Kia decided to turn in at around 8:30 PM. 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 . Does it not bother you, as it does me, that our community, with a few exceptions, seems to be showing little aggressive concern over the mysterious disappearance of one of our children, Kia Logan? Just a couple of blocks from this airport are a number of apartment complexes - all of which are a few miles out from downtown Greenwood. He was more than willing to continue talking, even answering questions about his prior sexual assault conviction from 1981. 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. Her father, Richard Logan, was the mayor of a small South Carolina town named Saluda. 1)The only theory in the case is that Charles Wade Hampton is the person who abducted and murder Kia. In each crime, the suspect was described as a middle-aged white man, with some kind of gray stubble on his face and a pockmarked complexion, as well as a unique tattoo on a bicep - which some of the young victims called a "dragon," and others a "snake.". He also had a blotchy, pockmarked face, made worse from poison ivy exposure the year prior. A random child abduction that went "sour" - usually a byproduct of a victim choosing to fight back, or attempting to run away. The murder is being investigated by the Columbia Police Department. Anyone with information on any of Greenwood's homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. 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. However, because of its size, they were able to determine that the victim had been thirteen years of age or younger. "We're now awaiting requests from law enforcement for further assistance. Soon, the one-year anniversary of Kia's disappearance had come-and-gone. Malakia Zali Logan, most commonly called by her nickname, Kia, was born on August 1st, 1979. If You enjoy it, please Like, Share and Subcribe this Chanel. This search continued until it was too dark, but resumed the next day. Gunshots were heard on Pearl Street near Osborne Avenue. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. It wasn't until the sister returned to the apartment complex half-an-hour later that anyone realized this eight-year old was missing. "Cold cases" isn't the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his department's unsolved homicides. On this Sunday afternoon, in the middle of May, all seemed to be well. They're no closer today than they were back in 1988 when Kia was snatched up. A clear sky. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". 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. 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. Sheriff Foster continued: "We are reasonably sure, at this point, the skull was not dug from a grave." She didn't want to miss any potential calls from Kia. It happened around 9:15 p.m. at a home. 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. 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. Her older sister and friend stayed at the basketball court for a little while longer. 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. There at that mailbox is the last place Jeremy was seen. When her sister, Renee, went home approximately twenty to thirty minutes later, she was surprised to find out that Kia had not yet returned. A little after nine o'clock that evening, Kia was reported missing to the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department. The days in which the victims were abducted varied, with three of the crimes happening on a Saturday, a Friday, and a Monday. The ratio of registered sex offenders to all residents in this city is lower than the state average. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. So, he'll be back on the street. Throughout the beginning of the search for her daughter, Bernetta begged the kidnapper to show some mercy toward Kia. There were six victims in total, all of whom - save for one - were young black girls between the ages of five and nine. 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. But that optimisim would be short-lived, as weeks began to bleed into months. He'll be back on the street. Its not just about arresting a suspect, Chaudoin said, its about building a case the states prosecutors can get a conviction with. 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.". Police have deduced that she was killed Greenwood County and her body dumped in Newberry County. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Police have shared that Kias abduction was a crime of opportunity, and that Hampton did not know the young girl. Low 44F. 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. 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. At least nine unsolved murder cases in Union County have investigators asking the public . Other paranormal phenomena are also regularly reported here. She loves to tackle her dreams head on and takes life by storm. On October 1st, 1990 - a Monday - a hunter was in an area just outside of Newberry, South Carolina. 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. It saw donations come in from both residents of Greenwood and local businesses, resulting in a total of over $20,000 raised. This would come up later in the story, so please keep that in-mind. It all pointed to a very confusing puzzle, which police didn't know how to make sense of. The second man proved to be of greater interest to investigators. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. He spoke about the skull as well, stating about his communication with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office: "We were in contact with them yesterday and we will be in contact with them again today. "Every time I open up the evidence room door, I see the bike and it's haunted me. Most South Carolinians Have Never Heard Of This Fascinating Auto Museum, People Are Going Crazy Over The Handmade Monster Biscuit At This Tiny South Carolina Restaurant, Explore An Island From 700 Feet Above On This Helicopter Ride In South Carolina, Paddling Through The Hidden Wadboo Creek Is A Magical South Carolina Adventure That Will Light Up Your Soul, Donald Pee Wee Gaskins, One Of Americas First Serial Killers, Got His Start In South Carolina, The Dark History Behind This Tiny Town In South Carolina Will Never Be Forgotten, Dukes Mayonnaise Was Invented At This Old, Charming Two-Story Ruin In South Carolina From The Early 1900s, The Terrifying South Carolina Lowcountry Road Trip Is Haunting Good Fun. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. The composite is the latest thing we have and we're trying to develop leads from that. They're going to search for other skeletal remains in identification.". Create a password that only you will remember. 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. Police did not share the part of town in which the shooting happened. Nor am I criticizing those who have helped so far or those concerned citizens who have contributed to the present approximately $3000 reward. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at Lander University, in her hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina. Lori's sister, Debbie, tried to contact her regarding her mother's death, but couldn't find her. Another witness described seeing a vehicle pull behind a nearby church and turn its lights off, then speed past heading south. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. Change). Witnesses said they heard the shooting and one gave a description of a suspect but left before officers could question them further. Earlier in the day, they had been aided by helicopters provided by SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, a statewide police agency. On May 30th, over two weeks after Kia had disappeared, investigators were still optimistic. It has been over a decade since there was any news or developments in the investigation, with it seeming to entering the pantheon of cold cases which will likely never be truly solved. 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. 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. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. Despite their efforts, no evidence was found. The prosecutors consulted Kia's family throughout this process, taking their feelings into consideration. Cold cases and unsolved crimes in Greenwood, SC. "Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. 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. 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. She had one sister, named Renee, and the three lived in an apartment complex just north of Greenwood, South Carolina. On July 4th, the Greenwood-area newspaper, the Index Journal, ran a story detailing Kia's mom, Bernetta Logan, as she struggled with the disappearance of her youngest daughter. He openly confessed to committing several of the child abductions, providing explicit details of the subsequent sexual assaults. 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. Through the rest of the year, police would remain relatively silent as to where their investigation stood. 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. Newspaper reports indicate that she was born with two holes in her heart, but she would turn out to be stronger than she knew. Every state has its unsolved mysteries and South Carolina, unfortunately, is not without its own. This year my daughter Renee will go, but I will stay here to answer the phone, just in case. 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. Use at your own risk. 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. 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. "He'll get credit for time served and good behavior. When officers arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds. You can not have good without a bad. You have permission to edit this article. They had reason to believe that Hampton had been responsible for some truly terrible crimes, but they had no prove any of them. Sending it off for testing, they had to hope that they could uncover any evidence that could help lead them to the culprit. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. 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. Throughout the 30+ year investigation, various leads and suspects would come and go. However, one of the most interesting notes of this sketch came from a description, which noted that the suspect had a pockmarked face. Anyone with information on any of Greenwoods homicides is asked to call law enforcement at 911, or police detectives at 864-942-8407. Titled "The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund," it hope to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. Hampton was known to spend a good amount of time on this farm, and it remained on the investigator's radar for a good amount of time after this initial confession. He recognized one of the men but wasnt able to give police a description before EMS staff arrived to treat him. Witnesses said they hadnt seen Kia near the men or getting into either of their vehicles. She never came home with her sister. It took over a decade, but Kia's parents were finally given answers as to what had happened ot their daughter. There is nothing left to tell about this case unfortunately. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. They did, however, share a similar suspect description of a middle-aged white man with grey stubble, a pockmarked complexion and a tattoo of either a dragon or a snake on one of his biceps. Examining the world of solved and unsolved cases. 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. Through interviews, police learned two or three men had come over to the house prior to the shooting. No one knows what really happened in that short span of time. 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.". The felony, which carried a potential ten year sentence, was handed down shortly after his plea. 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. 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. Local businesses continued by making donations to the fund. The sunny atmosphere from just a few days prior had evaporated. "I hope wherever she (Kia) is, she's safe and alive and she'll be home soon. This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. When the skull was discovered in 1990, it proved a lone clue in a vast sea of nothingness. As police tried to pinpoint the motive for Hampton's confessions, the forensic analysis they were hoping to rely on brought back an intriguing proposition. 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. 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.