Two from Georgetown charged with murder after Kingstree man went missing in 2020
Two people have been arrested in connection to the death of a Kingstree man who went missing last year, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Wade Hempel, 21, of Georgetown, and Shelby Francis Makaley Ashby, 21, of Georgetown, have been charged in connection to the homicide, police announced.
In August 2020, family members of Harry Barkley, 35, of Kingstree, reported him missing to the GCSO and Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office. The departments collaborated in an investigation that eventually led to the charges.
Police found Barkley’s vehicle dumped in the Black River at Chavis Landing in Sept. 2020. In May 2021, human remains believed to be Barkley were found in a remote wooded area in Williamsburg County, police say.
Police identified suspects but were unable to make arrests until the remains were conclusively identified. Ashby was taken into custody on Wednesday, while Hempel is awaiting extradition from Tennessee, where he was taken into custody following a high-speed chase.
On Wednesday, police received DNA results confirming the remains were Barkley, and arrested Hempel and Ashby.
Hempel is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, while Ashby is charged with accessory to murder after the fact for allegedly assisting Hempel in moving and disposing of Barkley’s remains.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 5:41 PM.
