Months after body found in freezer at abandoned SC home, police seek person of interest

South Carolina police are seeking a man they believe has information in the death of Robert Fuller, 24, whose body was found rotting in an abandoned home’s deep freezer in January, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

A group of ATV riders discovered the body while checking out the vacant Orangeburg County house, saying they were drawn to it by rumors it was “haunted,” McClatchy News previously reported. One rider opened an unplugged deep freezer on the back porch, and was overwhelmed by the smell of Fuller’s already badly decomposing corpse hidden inside.

“It was very scary. You couldn’t tell it was a person, because... I think it had been in there for months,” teenager Madison Childers told WACH, adding “there were maggots everywhere.”

Authorities began investigating, but the home burned down a few days later in a blaze firefighters described as “suspicious in nature,” McClatchy News reported.

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office — which classified the death as “murder” — later identified the body as Fuller’s.

Months later, the investigation continues and the sheriff’s office says it has identified a person of interest — 22-year-old Kendall Tyron Dickson, of Orangeburg.

“We’re interested in speaking with this individual who may have information related to the case,” Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Thursday. “If anyone has knowledge of his whereabouts, we urge you to contact us.”

Ravenell did not specify what investigators believe Dickson may know, or whether he has any direct involvement with Fuller’s death.

Anyone with information on Dickson’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at 803-534-3550, or call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC

This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 11:00 AM.