A South Carolina man was charged with murder and soliciting the help of their housemates to transfer his wife’s body weeks after she went missing.
Brandon Barnes, 21, was arrested on one count of murder in connection with the death of his wife, Jessica Barnes, 20, according to a Pendleton Police Department press release shared with HuffPost.
Her mother reported her missing on September 10, and her body was discovered miles from home in a wooded area near Twin Lakes in Pickens County on September 20. The Pickens County Coroner’s Office determined that her death was caused by strangulation.
Kendall Mims and Victoria Tippett, two housemates, were charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and misprision of a felony.
Brandon Barnes told Fits News that he last saw his wife on August 1, but he did not report her missing because he thought she would return.
When asked what message he would like to offer her, Barnes replied, “I would tell her how much I love her and how I wish I never went to work and ignored her.”
Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby stated during a press conference on Wednesday that Jessica Barnes was last seen at her home by her housemates on August 2. He said her mother, Cecilia Varvara, reported her missing after becoming anxious that her daughter had not called her on her birthday, August 26.
Varvara informed reporters that she got text messages from her daughter’s phone before she disappeared, which she suspects were sent by Brandon Barnes.
According to Varvara, the texts stated that Jessica Barnes had moved to Michigan with her pals.
In a statement, her family stated that she was a victim of domestic violence and hoped that her tale would inspire other victims to seek help.
