Missing Conway couple allegedly killed by granddaughter

The family of a deceased Conway couple says one of the murder suspects in the couple’s death is the granddaughter of one of the victims.

The Horry County Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday that skeleton remains found in Bucksville are those of missing couple Linda McAllister, 64, and William Clemons, 45.

Horry County police have charged 21-year-old Jordan Hodge and 28-year-old Kenneth Carlisle, both of Aynor, with the death of the missing Conway couple.

Jordan Hodge is the granddaughter of McAllister.

In a statement, the family confirmed that Dara Hodge and James Moran are the daughter and son of McAllister. Dara Hodge and her husband Roger Anthony Hodge are the parents of Jordan Hodge.

“Our family is in shock and grief over the horrific and inexplicable death of our mother,” the McAllister family statement reads. “She was a wonderfully kind loving mother, and grandmother, which makes the circumstances of her death unbearable, and unacceptable.

“As the parents of Jordan Hodge, Anthony and Dara are committed to cooperating and assisting fully in law enforcement’s efforts to investigate and prosecute all appropriate charges against those responsible for our mother’s death, whatever the consequences may be.

“The range of emotions we are experiencing is overwhelming. No one ever deserves to have their life intentionally taken from them. Yet it is said ‘To err is human, to forgive is divine.’ The heartbreak of learning that a loved one may be responsible for this is inconsolable,” the statement reads.

The family is asking for prayers and respect for their privacy, according to the statement.

McAllister and Clemons were first reported missing on July 1, according to the Conway Police Department.

A bloody truck, possessing and using the victim’s banking information, and a final cellphone ping at the suspects’ home in Aynor are all listed as evidence that led to the murder charges for Carlisle and Hodge in connection with the disappearance of a missing Conway couple, according to arrest warrants.

“… there is probable cause that the suspect committed the act of murder due to being the last known contact with victims, providing statements which differ from fact, being in possession of multiple banking mechanisms (with excessive use) and the victim’s truck, which was saturated in blood, and final phone ping of the victim’s phone in immediate vicinity of the suspect’s Aynor residence on July 13, 2017,” arrest warrants for both Carlisle and Hodge state.

Horry County police discovered the remains of the couple on July 15 after several people saying they smelled a “foul odor” led officers to discover skeletons in the woods in the Bucksville region of Horry County.

According to the report, three people smelled the odor at 3 a.m. but didn’t want to investigate the smell until morning. The trio discovered the skeletal remains around 6:15 a.m. and called police, who located the remains under a bush.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Missing Conway couple allegedly killed by granddaughter."