SC man photographed, smelled child while she slept, Horry County Police say
An Horry County man was arrested for taking videos and photos of a sleeping child in her bedroom without her knowledge — including a video of him smelling her.
Eddie Mitchell Cornelius, 41, was in the girl’s bedroom in Aynor on March 26, 2024, where he viewed, photographed and recorded her while she slept, arrest warrants say. He also took a video of himself placing his face in several intimate areas on the girl’s body and appearing to smell her there, police wrote.
The relationship between Cornelius and the minor victim is unclear.
Cornelius did these acts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desires without the girl’s knowledge or consent, his arrest warrants state. He was 39 years old at the time.
On Sept. 5, 2025, officers received reports of sexual assault against minors on Valley Forge Road in Aynor. The caller informed the officer that she had found sexually explicit photos and videos of Cornelius with minors in his Google Drive.
Cornelius greeted the officers when they arrived at the residence. He was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Wednesday, where he remains on charges of voyeurism and criminal sexual conduct with a total $40,500 bond.
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 4:14 PM.
