Midlands man charged with kidnapping, murdering ex-wife extradited to SC

The Midlands man charged with kidnapping and murdering his ex-wife, before burying her in shallow grave, was extradited from Kentucky to South Carolina Tuesday.

James L. Ginther, 26, of Columbia, was transported to the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center shortly after 6 p.m., according to Sumter County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Ken Bell.

Ginther has a family court hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning. He has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Suzette Ginther.

The body of Suzette Ginther, 27, was discovered in a shallow grave in a wooded area off of Burnt Gin Road in Manchester State Forest Nov. 16.

James L. Ginther was arrested about 4:30 a.m. Nov. 20 by the Louisville (Ky.) Metro Police Department. He was stopped after being involved in a minor traffic accident, and when authorities ran his information.

The couple had two children, ages eight and six, but were legally divorced this year.

A weapon was recovered from the vehicle in Kentucky, Dennis said. It hasn’t been determined to be the murder weapon yet, but it’s the same caliber as the one used in the killing.

Suzette Ginther was shot in the head, said Sumter County Coroner Robert Baker. She had been reported missing Nov. 16, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

Her body was found by a hunter in Manchester State Forest near Camp Burnt Gin in a shallow grave.

She worked at the PetSmart on Garners Ferry Road, said Bell, adding concerned co-workers called Suzette Ginther’s live-in boyfriend when she failed to show up for work.

Her boyfriend then called law enforcement and reported her missing, Bell said. Ginther’s boyfriend is the last person who reported seeing her before her body was discovered.