Found Deceased SC - Melissa Aguilar, 49, Holly Hill, last seen leaving home after argument with former boyfriend, 17 Aug 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators with the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) are looking for a 49-year-old woman they say has been missing for more than three months.

Investigators say Aguilar left her home on Fourwind Road after an argument with a former boyfriend.

The last person to speak with Aguilar was her daughter, OCSO officials say.

“We are looking for any kind of leads anyone may have that would help us find this lady,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said. “We’re hoping these photos will help jog someone’s memory. Even if they don’t know this lady but saw her, tell us where and when.”

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s office launches search for missing 49-year-old woman

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced that investigators are searching for an Orangeburg County female last seen by family members in August.“We are looking for any

wach.com

‘We’re looking for any kind of leads:’ Orangeburg County Sheriff asks for help finding missing woman

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a woman who’s been missing since August.

www.wistv.com

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[Dargon335]

Investigators say Aguilar left her home on Fourwind Road after an argument with a former boyfriend.

MOO, but this statement is rarely a good omen in a MP case.

What do we know about Melissa's relationship with this man? Any known history of DV? Is he cooperating with LE and actively assisting with searches?

 

[Dargon335]

‘We’re looking for any kind of leads:’ Orangeburg County Sheriff asks for help finding missing woman

[...]
The sheriff’s department said that family members last spoke with Melissa Aguilar, 49, of Four Winds Road in Holly Hill, on Aug. 17.
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[...]
The sheriff’s department said Aguilar was last seen after she got into a fight with her former boyfriend.
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So WHO saw Melissa after this argument/fight, and WHERE was she last seen? Has LE interviewed the BF regarding this incident?

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Last seen AUGUST...my god...

 

[LovesPeace2]

Oh geez I hope they can find out something

 

[tlcya]

Well IF the person who last saw her after the fight with the ex boyfriend is that same ex boyfriend I don't put much stock in whatever he has to say. Sorry, not sorry, the odds say that's a lie.

Don't get a good feel on this one

 

[tlcya]

Public assistance sought in locating missing Holly Hill woman last seen in August

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Rene Williams said 49-year-old Melissa Aguilar is considered endangered due to health concerns.

Williams said Aguilar was last seen walking from a Four Wind Road residence wearing a black T-shirt and sweat pants.
Aguilar is white, 5-feet-tall and weighs 110 pounds. She has long blond hair that may have a slight red tint.
Endangered woman sought near Holly Hill

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[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators believe she left a home Fourwind Road, which is an unincorporated area of Orangeburg County, after an argument with her ex.

Aguilar’s youngest daughter Shanna Brown told WIS in a Friday interview that the last four months have been excruciatingly painful.

Brown said she used to speak with her mother every day, and the fear of the unknown has caused her so much “anger, heartache, and worry.”

“It’s been really hard trying to juggle a job and put on a smile and act like nothing’s wrong when there’s so much wrong,” she said.

New details emerge in case of missing Orangeburg County woman last seen in August

As the family of an Orangeburg County woman, who went missing four months ago, seeks answers, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information about the case.

www.wistv.com

 

[Dre]

Investigators believe she left a home Fourwind Road, which is an unincorporated area of Orangeburg County, after an argument with her ex.

Aguilar’s youngest daughter Shanna Brown told WIS in a Friday interview that the last four months have been excruciatingly painful.

Brown said she used to speak with her mother every day, and the fear of the unknown has caused her so much “anger, heartache, and worry.”

“It’s been really hard trying to juggle a job and put on a smile and act like nothing’s wrong when there’s so much wrong,” she said.

New details emerge in case of missing Orangeburg County woman last seen in August

As the family of an Orangeburg County woman, who went missing four months ago, seeks answers, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information about the case.

www.wistv.com

She was LIVING with her ex, and he called in the missing persons report, was the one that “saw her leave” and her daughter had spoken to her one night before said argument. Not looking good, her family believes she’s gone based off her usual constant communication

 

[Dargon335]

New details emerge in case of missing Orangeburg County woman last seen in August

[...]
Immediately following her disappearance, the Sheriff’s Office shared the information with the local newspaper, but did not put out a public release through its official channels, nor send the information to other news outlets like WIS.

On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office provided written answers to some questions, but an investigator familiar with the case was not made available for an on-camera interview.

The department did not provide any specifics about who reported the “unconfirmed report of a possible sighting,” when this happened and where.
[...]

MOO, but the actions, or lack thereof, in this MP case by the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office seem a bit curious. Clearly they can't reveal all of their information while the investigation continues, however I don't get the impression that Melissa's disappearance is a priority. Again, MOO.

 

[TwinkieDefense]

Jan 10, 2024 article

‘We know her smile’: Family of missing Holly Hill woman finds human remains

The family of a woman who has been missing since August says they are infuriated after finding exposed remains they believed to be hers.

www.live5news.com

[…]

The family of a woman who has been missing since August says they are infuriated after finding exposed remains they believed to be hers.

[…]

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed the remains are Aguilars. They say they’ve been sent to SLED for processing and identification.

[…]

 

[GraceG]

Family is speaking out after remains were found. I truly feel for how painful this may be and the need for closure, but I don't believe one can determine the identify of remains through a jawbone

Jan 10, 2024 article

‘We know her smile’: Family of missing Holly Hill woman finds human remains

The family of a woman who has been missing since August says they are infuriated after finding exposed remains they believed to be hers.

www.live5news.com

[…]

The family of a woman who has been missing since August says they are infuriated after finding exposed remains they believed to be hers.

[…]

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed the remains are Aguilars. They say they’ve been sent to SLED for processing and identification.

[…]

I can understand the family's pain and need for closure but from what I read they found part of a jawbone, a few teeth and perhaps some other bones. Not anything that someone, even intimately familiar with the deceased, could recognize as being them. They'll likely need to see if there are dental records and if not, extract some DNA, and unfortunately, that can take weeks. Hoping the family can find her and lay her to rest as they wish.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

JAN 15, 2024

Orangeburg County (WACH) — The family of a woman who vanished last summer is fearing the worst as they wait for authorities in Orangeburg County are still working to identify human remains found in Holly Hill earlier this month.

More at Family of missing Orangeburg woman wait for human remains found to be identified

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Coroner: Human remains found in Holly Hill are of woman reported missing in August

The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office confirms human remains found in Holly Hill are of a missing woman.

www.wistv.com

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - The Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office confirms human remains found in Holly Hill are of a missing woman.

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The coroner was able to confirm the remains were Aguilar’s using dental records.

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Ravenell also admitted during the press conference that his department did not initially send out a news release to the department’s entire media distribution list after Aguilar was reported missing. The only news outlet informed of Aguilar’s disappearance in August was the Times and Democrat newspaper.

A second news release asking for leads was distributed in December.

Ravenell said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he had not been in communication with the coroner’s office prior to the press conference. The sheriff said the family told him the coroner’s office positively identified the body. However, the sheriff said he did not know the body had been identified as Aguilar’s.

*******
The sheriff added his department has a person of interest but no formal suspects.

 

[Knox]

Can't say I blame Melissa's family for being upset. This isn't the first time Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell has been criticized by a victim's family.

Anyone remember the Crystal Jumper murder case? Antar Jeter is accused of killing her, then taking the daughter they shared on the run. There is a thread here at WS for Crystal, but the original thread for the minor child may have been removed - a search doesn't bring anything up.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Melissa Aguilar was reported missing by an ex-boyfriend on Aug. 18, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. Her remains were found nearly four months later in Holly Hill, less than half a mile from her home.

“She was a Georgia girl, she was raised in Georgia, it’s where most of her good memories are. She was a resident here the last few years but today, we take her home,” Aguilar’s sister, Sarah Shipman, says.

The family has been outspoken about their dissatisfaction with the way the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office has conducted their investigation, and the way Aguilar’s remains were handled.

Shipman says she found Aguilar’s exposed remains left behind by investigators on multiple occasions.

“A person dies twice in this world, once when you put them in a vehicle and a second when their memory dies. We will never forget her, and we will make sure no one forgets her. The world will know her story,” Shipman says.
Friends, family escort remains of Holly Hill woman home to Georgia

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 11, 2024

Long-awaited homecoming: Remains of woman who went missing from Holly Hill escorted to Georgia

It was a long-awaited homecoming on Saturday for a woman who went missing from a home in Holly Hill in August, and whose remains were discovered not far from that home more than four months later.

www.wistv.com

[...]

On Saturday, hundreds gathered for her final ride home to Statesboro, Georgia.

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A symphony of motorcycle engines showed just how loved Aguilar is, as her remains were escorted back to the place she called home.

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Shipman helped organize a group of friends and loved ones, including a large cohort from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, to accompany her on the journey.

“This group of people, who I call family, when you put out that call, they come, and this is just a show of how far they’ll go,” she said. “We’ve got people from Mississippi that drove here today.”

[...]

The ride started in North Carolina, with a stop in Holly Hill as the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office returned Aguilar’s remains to the family, before the final destination: Statesboro.

“To see that tiny box made it real,” Shipman said. “Today we’re just taking her home as we promised. Our closure will come in the future. This is not the last you’ve seen of our family. Answers are next. And if justice be after that, justice we will seek.”

[...]

Orangeburg County Coroner Samuetta Marshall said that cause and manner of death are still pending.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, along with an outside anthropologist, are studying the remains.