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. He stated about the confirmation of the skull belonging to Kia: "I felt for a long time that the skull was hers, but I hoped it wasn't. 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. 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. 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. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". ddominguez@indexjournal.com. The Greenwood County Sheriffs Office can be reached at 864-942-8632, or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP . Use at your own risk. No closure. Tipsters can also reach out on Facebook, or submit a tip anonymously online at bit.ly/3zN6rM2. 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. Dispatchers told police several men were seen running behind a residence on Sumter street and dropping guns off. In fact, police noted that he might have been a little TOO eager at times. Malakia Zali Logan, most commonly called by her nickname, Kia, was born on August 1st, 1979. 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. 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. Other paranormal phenomena are also regularly reported here. Another description was vague, calling it simply an older model white compact or subcompact with blue interior. By September 15th, Kia had been missing for four months. We couldn't prove this case.". It seems that there may be been two suspects who were trying to rob the bank. 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 . Earlier that morning, his mother had checked on him before leaving for work. You never know if that tiny piece of information could flesh out the full puzzle. They're no closer today than they were back in 1988 when Kia was snatched up. 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.". After this discovery, interrogators circled back around to Hampton. The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund was established by Tuck Wooten, the Head of A.M. Tuck Inc. Investigators in Union County asking for help in 9 unsolved murder cases At the time of her disappearance, Reinaldo Javier "Ray" Rivera, now a convicted serial killer, was attending the University of South Carolina. 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. Trending pages Kari Lynn Nixon Dana Satterfield Superbike Motorsports Murders Jessica Gutierrez Michele Whitaker No one was hurt when multiple shots were fired early Saturday in the area of Piedmont Avenue and Edgefield Street. Choose wisely! 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. She had one sister, named Renee, and the three lived in an apartment complex just north of Greenwood, South Carolina. City-data.com does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information on this site. 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. Kia was a third grade student at Merrywood Elementary School. Since that time two ponds have been drained, searches have been conducted, and a serial killer (who would have been a teenager at that time) has been interviewed all to no avail. He and. cityofgreenwoodsc.com/departments/police/submit-an-anonymous-tip. This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In South Carolina And It Will Leave You Baffled. Detectives will re-interview witnesses and relatives of victims to try and find any new leads. In 1996, the testing of mitochondrial DNA was performed at a genetics lab in North Carolina. It took over a decade, but Kia's parents were finally given answers as to what had happened ot their daughter. Love South Carolina? I'm not the first to ask that question and so many more than me want to know the answer. He also had scars along his right arm and stomach, which matched up with what one of the younger victims had described. It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. On June 22nd, 2007 - a Friday - the charges against Charles Wade Hampton were suddenly dropped. Nor am I criticizing those who have helped so far or those concerned citizens who have contributed to the present approximately $3000 reward. They were just a few hundred or so yards from their apartment, where the sisters lived with their mother, a middle school teacher. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. Malakia Kia Zali Logan was born on August 1, 1979 to parents Richard and Bernetta Logan. Officers did find an air pistol at a nearby street corner, along with a car with a shot-out window. Charles Wade Hampton were eventually charged with Malakia's murder, but the mystery remains unsolved. On May 15th, 1988, all seemed to be well in the world. ddominguez@indexjournal.com. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Greenwood is 1,836 to 1. The authorities are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death as a result of information gleaned after two . Cold Cases | Charleston, SC - Official Website He did not live here. By this point, her family had begun to fear the worst. Police and prosecutors seemed certain at the time of this indictment - November 6th, 2002 - that Charles Hampton was responsible for the abduction and murder of Malakia Zali Logan. The family, to their credit, was steadfast in their conviction, wanting to to see Hampton in a court to face the charges levied against him. However, no evidence has been found to link him to Dail's case and interviews with him have been sadly uninformative. Prosecutors, once-confident that the case against him was looking rock-solid, were now worried about not having enough evidence against him. 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. It hasn't been updated with any of his current information. Malakia Logan | Unsolved Mysteries Wiki | Fandom They had been shot. 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. 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) As the hunter walked along a pasture fence, he stumbled upon a small object resembling a human skull. If they wanted to try him for any of those crimes, they needed a more definitive smoking gun. He had bloodstains on his clothes and was trying to tell officers something, but he didnt speak English. 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. Gunshots were heard on Pearl Street near Osborne Avenue. The witnesses had described his hair as having a light glow to it, but they couldn't definitively see it. Remember, this is before the trial of OJ Simpson, so DNA testing was very much in its infancy. A little after nine o'clock that evening, Kia was reported missing to the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department. Police were called to the scene, and the skull was taken into police custody for testing. It is known that her friends lost track of her in the crowd so they assumed that she had a ride home and left. 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. His stepfather was watching him in her absence. "Cold cases" isn't the term Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin likes to use for his department's unsolved homicides. Dennis Beauford, one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene, stated: "It was a pretty Sunday afternoon. Sadly, if we forget then so do others and no one should be forgotten. It was this apartment complex where, on a Sunday evening in the middle of May, everything seemed right with the world. 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. This means that, between the time of his plea and now, Charles Wade Hampton has likely served his time and since been released. 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. 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. As former Sheriff Riley and current Sheriff Tony Davis stated: "members of the community supported the Logan family when in need, and now those funds will support those in need with educational opportunities.". However, it wasn't until 2002 that prosecutors began firing off the big guns at Hampton. Needless to say, Charles Hampton was now on their radar. But, let a Carolina or a Clemson sports event take the forefront and emotions bubble over throughout the community. Speaking about the indictment, longtime Greenwood County Sheriff Sam Riley stated: "There was no relationship between him and Kia. 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. 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. Police found him sitting on steps beside the sidewalk, bleeding from his head; an officer couldnt find his pulse. 8th Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace, who had replaced William Townes Jones in the preceding half-decade, had plenty to say about this decision. 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. How can we send such a message? Subscribe Now:. We're scraping the bottom right now.". Theyre experiencing the most horrific thing thats probably ever happened to them in their life, Chaudoin said. The Disappearance of Nguyet Thu Wiki Phung, Case Update: Brittanee Drexels Remains Discovered After 13 Years, SuspectCharged, The Disappearances of Tina & BethanySinclair. 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. In his vehicle, police found many out-of-place items: things such as clothing, toilet paper, the marriage certificate of him and his ex-wife, etc. 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. 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. Unsolved Murdaugh Murders Expose Years of South Carolina Mysteries Learn how your comment data is processed. Hampton pleaded not guilty to the charges and immediately recanted his confession, just as hed done in previous cases. But there were also nude photographs of women - including images of his then-girlfriend - and a pornographic magazine named "Stroke Off Tales.". This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. It happened around 9:15 p.m. at a home. "The case is 19 years old; the family has been living with it for 19 years. 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. The sun was beginning to set, and this eight-year old climbed onto her bike to head back home. Pity us if we don't! 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. What makes the difference in some of these cases is witness cooperation. Police took Hampton out of jail, and drove him to many of the landmarks and locations from the child abductions. 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. ", Riley, of course, was Major Sam Riley of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office. This is due to his alleged confessions, which he would later recant. 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. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. As an adult, he stood about five-feet-eight-inches tall, weighing it at only 132 pounds. Who was the man who found them? Upon his arrest, he proved very cooperative with law enforcement. One way is to make the amount of the reward really impressive and/or tempting. GREENWOOD, S.C. Cody Hawkins, 24, was shot and killed May 19 about 2:50 a.m. He had been talking with someone on a moped when a dark car came up, and two people opened fire from within. The composite, for all of its intrigue, led to no real suspects in the surrounding area. CID Email Anonymous Tip Submission Crime Stoppers. Welldo you really need that much sleep? 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. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. 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. No one wants to think that there is evil that walks among us; an evil that stalks the dark and steals the light. 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. 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. Advertisement Investigators with the Greenwood Police. Greenwood's law enforcement now working 4 unsolved homicides, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ 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. It wasn't until the sister returned to the apartment complex half-an-hour later that anyone realized this eight-year old was missing. When it was finally time for Hampton to be released, he was immediately re-arrested for a warrant investigators had planned. When does she have the time, you ask? 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. 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. 1)The only theory in the case is that Charles Wade Hampton is the person who abducted and murder Kia. One person said they saw a man running from the area between two of the apartment complexs buildings. Greenwood, SC Area Cold Cases | SpotCrime Gwen is an author, artist, illustrator, graphic designer, mother, wife, and part-time super hero. 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. It's a reminder of unfinished business.". Richard Martin Age. The author of the newspaper article noted that as she spoke about her daughter, Bernetta was clutching a photo of Kia. He was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. Let's send the message forth: "Greenwood County folks get right upset when one of their children is criminally abused. 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. South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. He was a former Department of Transportation employee, who lived in Clarke County, Georgia, and worked at the rest stop at Hard Labor Creek State Park as a maintenance man. Georgetown has always been a family-type community. Renee arrived home approximately 15 to 20 minutes later and it was discovered that Kia had not returned. It is believed that the subjects were attempting to rob his neighbor's apartment. After 11'000 days, 30 years and 29 of those years on death row, Edward Lee Elmore was freed in 2012. Despite that, police wouldn't have any real leads to follow up on until October of the next year, 1990. Get Alerts Map; Browse By State; Submit a Crime Tip Square with arrow pointing upper right. This would come up later in the story, so please keep that in-mind. Not only were Georgia and South Carolina preparing cases against him, but North Carolina and Florida were investigating him for similar child abductions and sexual assaults in their states. Cold Case Files | Greenville, SC - Official Website 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 also found actual pairs of children's underwear in his laundry, which then sent in for forensic testing. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. On October 1, 1990, Malakia's remains were found in a wooded area on U.S. Forest Service property in Newberry County. 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. From video footage they have been able to piece together that the car was a red Oldsmobile Alero made between 1999 and 2003. Titled "The Malakia Z. Logan Reward Fund," it hope to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. Murdered Paul Murdaugh reportedly had more brushes with law - New York Post Sometime in the middle of the night, a man stole her from the bedroom without waking 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. Greenwood city's six unsolved homicides stay a police priority, By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ It had been nearly five years since the original indictment was filed, accusing him of the abduction and murder of Kia Logan. The investigation to find her had still gone nowhere truly productive, with police beginning to expand their search out of the area according to some in the police department, even out of the state. 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.