Woman found dead on roadside had died somewhere else, SC cops say. Now one arrested
The body of a South Carolina woman was dumped on the side of the road back in January, police say.
Now, investigators have arrested another woman, saying she failed to tell investigators that the victim died at her home and she had moved the body, Spartanburg police said in an Aug. 16 news release.
Shardae Monique Whitehurst, 27, was found in the early morning of Jan. 28, alongside a wooded road in Spartanburg, investigators said. She was last seen leaving her job at McDonald’s and was dropped off at her residence on Jan. 19, according to the release.
Police say they are investigating what happened between then and the time her body was found nine days later.
A woman from Spartanburg was arrested on Aug. 15 in connection with Whitehurst’s death, according to the release. She is charged with obstructing justice, unauthorized removal of a dead body, giving false information to law enforcement and desecration/removal of human remains.
According to arrest warrants shared with McClatchy News, the woman who was arrested failed to tell investigators that Whitehurst died at her home. She told investigators she didn’t know Whitehurst had died, according to the warrants.
Investigators say the woman transported Whitehurst’s body across state lines from Spartanburg to North Carolina and back to Spartanburg. Whitehurst’s body was found about a mile from the woman’s home.
According to the warrants, the woman allowed Whitehurst’s body to decompose and “inflicting trauma to the body when disposing of it.”
Whitehurst’s mother told WSPA in July the last time she talked to her daughter was when the 27-year-old called during her lunch break on Jan. 17. She said she wants answers.
“All I’m asking is y’all give me the peace of mind,” she told WSPA. “Whoever you are, please just turn yourself in.”
In Whitehurst’s obituary, she is described as “outgoing, very helpful and loved her family.”
The case remains an ongoing death investigation.
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Woman found dead on roadside had died somewhere else, SC cops say. Now one arrested."