Midlands man charged with murder of NC woman, dumping her body in the woods, cops say
A Midlands man was charged with murder after a missing North Carolina woman’s body was found dumped in the woods, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
Kenneth Eastwood was arrested Saturday, two days after the body of Cara Hodges was discovered, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The 35-year-old from Asheboro was strangled and pronounced dead on the scene, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said. Asheboro is in between Charlotte and Raleigh, about 80 miles from both cities.
The 67-year-old Eutawville man was the last person seen with Hodges, who was in South Carolina visiting family, according to the release.
A relative reported Hodges missing Dec. 10, the sheriff’s office said. The family member last saw Hodges two days earlier in the company of Eastwood, according to the release.
Eastwood told investigators he hadn’t seen Hodges since she left his Gardensgate Road residence, the sheriff’s office said. That is about 60 miles south of Columbia.
On Dec. 12, Hodges’ body was found in a wooded area near June Court, about 5 miles from Eastwood’s home, according to the release.
The property owner reported seeing what he believed to be a body at about 5 p.m. to the sheriff’s office, the Times & Democrat reported.
After performing an autopsy, Fogle determined Hodges’ death was a homicide, according to the coroner’s office.
“We began working this aggressively as a homicide early on after this young woman was found,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in the release. “That investigation led us back to the last person said to have seen this young lady.”
Investigators determined Eastwood killed Hodges, and he arrested and is waiting for his first court appearance, the sheriff’s office said.
Information on Eastwood and Hodges’ relationship was not available, and there is no word on what led to her death.
Hodges’ death remains under investigation by the sheriff’s and coroner’s offices.
“Here we see a loss of life in this absolute senseless act of violence,” Ravenell said in the release.
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This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 7:56 AM.
