Remains of missing 5-year-old girl found at South Carolina landfill, police say

SUMTER, S.C. — South Carolina authorities have found the remains of a 5-year-old girl two months after police found her mother dead inside their apartment.

Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said 28-year-old Daunte Johnson told detectives he dumped the girl's body in a trash bin at a Sumter apartment.

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Authorities said Nevaeh Lashy Adams had been missing since August after a relative discovered the body of her mother, 29-year-old Sharee Bradley.

Roark said a trash truck unloaded the complex's bins before Bradley's body was found and Nevaeh was reported missing.

Roark says that trash was unloaded into one of nine bigger trucks and investigators have spent every day since searching for the little girl.

They found her remains Tuesday in a landfill. Officials said approximately 400 people from more than 40 agencies searched about 4 million pounds of material in order to find her.

"This is not the outcome any of us would have wanted, but we hope this can provide some closure to the family," Roark said. "The local community and the state as a whole have been profoundly impacted by this case. It is our hope that the recovery of Nevaeh will provide a sense of peace to her family, the community, and the hundreds of men and women who participated in this effort."

(Johnson)

According to police, Johnson was arrested after he was seen running away from the residence. He is being held in the Sumter Lee Detention Center and is being charged with murder.

During his interview, police said Johnson told them he killed Bradley, an acquaintance of his, and her daughter. He also provided information that could help officers locate the girl's body.

Police said Bradley had been dead for several hours before her body was found. They believe Adams was killed around the same time as her mother.

Officials are working to learn more about Johnson, who has a criminal record in other states and is a suspect in a Missouri homicide.

Channel 9 has learned Johnson has a history in Charlotte.

His most recent arrest was in January for trespassing. In 2018, he was arrested for violating a domestic violence protective order. Court documents for Johnson show two other cases of assault on a female. Those two cases, along with the protective order violation, were dismissed.

Various documents list several Charlotte addresses for Johnson. Sumter police described him as a transient, so it’s not clear how much time he’s spent in the area.

Associated Press