Remains of missing South Carolina mother last seen in December found in wooded area

The remains of a South Carolina mother missing since early December have been found and police have announced a new arrest in the case, as well as the young mother's cause of death.

Authorities from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office found the remains of 30-year-old Jamilla Smith on Thursday in a wooded area on Silver Bluff Road, they said in a press release.

“The Aiken County Coroner Daryll Ables, Aiken Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted with the recovery efforts,” police said in the release, adding that an autopsy has been ordered.

The Aiken County Coroner also released Smith's cause of death Tuesday, noting that she was shot in the head.

Smith, a mother of two boys, was last heard from on Dec. 2. She was in Aiken County with her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Gabriel Harmon, who was arrested on Dec. 23 for charges such as kidnapping and murder.

Police said in an earlier arrest affidavit that they believe Harmon hit her with a car. Court records show that on Dec. 2, Smith called 911. The dispatcher who took the call said she sounded breathless, and also reported hearing an engine revved.

"You hit me," Smith said, telling the male to leave her alone. 

Her ex's cousin, Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr., turned himself in on April 19 and held on an accessory after the fact to murder charge, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office announced on April 17 that a third man, Clyde Hendley II, was also arrested in connection to the case. He has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

Authorities said in a news release that they searched Hendley’s Aiken County home before taking him to the Aiken County Detention Center.

Hendley is an associate of both men initially charged in the case, according to a sheriff’s office spokesman.

It was not immediately clear who is representing Hendley but according to the Aiken County Solicitor's Office, Strom Thurmond is representing Hampton. Thurmond did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Harmon’s lawyer, Charles Lyons III, told USA TODAY last month that his clients are advised not to comment on pending criminal cases.

“On behalf of Mr. Harmon’s family, they express their remorse and their sorrow for the disappearance and the fact that Ms. Smith has not been located at this time,” he told USA TODAY at the time.

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When asked what led to police finding her remains last Thursday, the sheriff’s office could not provide an answer.

Kimberly Kite runs an organization that helps find missing people. Smith’s loved ones contacted the nonprofit to ask for help finding her and getting answers. She told USA TODAY last month that the goal was to bring Smith home.

“We are praying very hard for her family," she said at the time. "We are praying very hard that the second suspect is going to reveal where she is. Jamilla deserves to be brought home.”

Smith’s family also said the 30-year-old had a history of calling the police on her ex-boyfriend due to domestic violence, and records from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office show she made three domestic violence calls regarding Harmon on July 2, Aug. 22 and Nov. 9.

Her mother, Tina McCraw previously told USA TODAY that Smith lived in Aiken County but moved to Florida in July 2023 to be with her family. She returned to South Carolina in early December to handle matters regarding her car.

McCraw said her daughter called her from her ex-boyfriend’s phone, with Smith saying he threw her phone out of the car and she needed to find it. Her family had access to her location, so they led her to her phone.

Smith later planned to stay at her ex-boyfriend's house that night and texted her mom to thank her.

“That's the last time I spoke to her,” her mother said last month.

She tried to call Smith but couldn’t reach her, eventually reporting her missing.

The sheriff’s office asked that anyone with information call (803) 648-6811 or send a message at www.aikencountysheriff.net.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.