2 arrested after 2 found fatally shot in shallow grave in Georgetown County
Two people were arrested Thursday after two bodies were discovered in a shallow grave in Georgetown County.
Patricia Wise, 51, of Dunbar, and Wilbur Lang, 55, of Choppee, were arrested by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department in connection with the double homicide investigation.
Patricia Wise is the sister of one the victims, Melvin Wise, officials confirmed.
Patricia Wise was charged with two counts of accessory to murder after the fact, obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Lang was charged with two counts of accessory to murder after the fact, obstruction of justice, criminal conspiracy and two counts of desecration of human remains.
On Feb. 18, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office responded to Whitmire Avenue in the Choppee community after hunters discovered two bodies that had been fatally shot in a shallow grave.
Investigators and the county coroner identified the victims as Melvin Wise, 57, and Andrene Stewart, 41, both from Bronx, New York. Autopsies confirmed that both victims died from gunshot wounds.
They had been staying with family in the Dunbar community for several months, according to the sheriff’s office. Melvin Wise was a former resident of Georgetown County.
Officials have not identified a possible motive for the killing.
The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests or charges are expected, the sheriff’s office said.
Wise and Lang are jailed at the Georgetown County Detention Center, where they await a bond hearing, the statement said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office at 843-546-5102.
This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 6:27 PM.
