The parents of a missing 4-year-old South Carolina girl, Javeayah Harris, were arrested and charged Saturday, in connection with her disappearance and presumed death.
Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer stated during a Saturday afternoon press conference that investigators believe Javeayah had been dead for at least a month before she was reported missing.
“Sadly, the night of the 911 call on June 30, when that call was made, it was already too late to save Javeayah,” Sawyer stated.
Johmarea Harris, 23, and Michilae Herring, 22, are now behind bars facing charges of homicide by child abuse and filing a false police report, according to the Post & Courier. Additional charges are possible.
Meanwhile, despite scaling back the operation, law enforcement will continue the search recovery effort for the missing child.
“Our search for Javeayah drives on,” Sawyer said.
“We are continuing to put massive law enforcement resources to work to recover Javeayah and bring her home. We all hoped and prayed to find her alive, but it’s extremely important to bring her home to her family, and it’s important to bring her home for us.”
As Criminal Enterprise reported, Herring reported Javeayah missing Tuesday night, during a 911 call made at approximately 8:43 p.m. She stated that Javeayah had been playing in the family’s chicken coop, in the at Hillsboro Street and Ridgecrest Road, just outside of Aiken, when she vanished.
Herring allegedly said she last saw Javeayah at around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Harris told police that he went to a local laundromat to do laundry and stopped by a convenience store the night Javeayah vanished. He estimated he had been gone for around an hour and a half.
When he arrived back home at around 9 p.m., law enforcement and drones were present.
Evidence obtained by law enforcement reportedly disproved the defendants’ timeline.
Search teams are now focusing on an undisclosed area outside of Aiken. They have not publicly stated what specific evidence led to them the believe Javeayah is deceased.
Check back for updates.
[Featured image via Aiken County Sheriff’s Office]
