Body of Sumter girl still missing weeks after she and mother were killed, SC cops say
Despite exhaustive efforts, help from multiple law enforcement and missing children agencies, and support from the governor of South Carolina, the body of a missing 5-year-old girl still has not been recovered, the Sumter Police Department said Monday.
Although Nevaeh Lashy Adams has not been found, a suspect has been charged with murdering the child, Police Chief Russell Roark said at a news conference.
While recounting the “tragic events (that) rocked this community three weeks ago,” Roark said the man who was previously charged with the murder of Nevaeh’s mother, Sharee Bradley, has also been charged in the death of the 5-year-old.
The murder charge was one of multiple new crimes filed against Daunte Maurice Johnson, Roark said.
“Because of the evidence that we’ve gathered and based on the statement Mr. Johnson provided us ... we today charged Mr. Johnson with the murder of Nevaeh Adams,” Roark said.
Johnson, 28, is also charged with two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a stolen vehicle, that Roark said belonged to a homicide victim in Missouri.
As the criminal case against Johnson moves forward, Roark said police will continue to search for Navaeh’s body. Officers will continue to scour Midlands landfills as all of the evidence police have suggests that is “the most likely place for her to be,” according to Roark.
The chief went over a timeline of the investigation at the news conference.
The body of the 29-year-old Bradley was found inside her apartment on Aug. 5 by a family member, the Sumter Police Department said. A coroner’s autopsy determined she died from stab wounds to the head and neck.
The officer who found Bradley said she was wrapped up in a rug, Roark said.
Police believe Nevaeh was killed at the same time and her body placed in a dumpster on the property. Investigators searched in hundreds of tons of garbage at area landfills for the little girl’s body.
Police dogs and cadaver dogs have been used to search for Nevaeh, according to Roark, who said his department has been aided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children among other agencies.
“The governor’s office will fully support us continuing the search for the remains of Nevaeh,” Roark said.
Police were able to locate two of Bradley’s three children, but Nevaeh is still missing.
Called a transient by the police, Johnson was seen running away from Bradley’s apartment before officers tracked him down at a nearby residence, according to police.
Witnesses said Johnson and Bradley had a relationship for years, according to Roark.
While speaking with officers, Johnson said he knew Bradley and confessed to killing her and Neveah, police said. He said he put Nevaeh’s body in a dumpster, they said.
Roark said Nevaeh was likely stabbed to death, as her mother was, by Johnson. No motive has been established behind the double homicide, Roark said.
Police said Johnson has a criminal record in other states and is a suspect in a Missouri homicide.
“He has a history of violence against women, domestic violence,” Roark said at the news conference.
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 3:45 PM.
