Edgefield County investigators made a grim discovery Thursday morning when they found the body of 78-year-old James Wheeler, a North Augusta man reported missing in June. His daughter has now been charged with his murder.
Officials arrested Monica Lee Wheeler-Walton, 57, Wheeler’s daughter, who lived at the residence. She is charged with murder and graves/destruction, desecration or removal of human remains. Sheriff Jody Rowland said she gave a brief statement before requesting an attorney.
Sheriff Rowland said deputies executed a search warrant at 355 Copeland Circle and discovered Wheeler’s remains inside what he described as a “not pretty” scene.
“We were just looking for a crime scene, and we sure found it,” Sheriff Rowland said. “The entire house was a crime scene.”
Detectives believe Wheeler’s body had been inside the home for months. The sheriff said evidence indicates the body had been moved several times before investigators arrived.
According to the sheriff, Wheeler was accustomed to traveling and, as a retired military man, would sometimes be gone for weeks at a time. That pattern initially delayed concern among relatives.
“Most of the family became concerned because it wasn’t uncommon for him to be gone for several weeks,” Sheriff Rowland said. “But when he didn’t come back over the summer, we started getting several calls from family, and we knew there was an issue with the daughter.”
The missing person case began June 10, when an anonymous friend reported Wheeler missing. Despite early cooperation from relatives, the investigation made little progress until about three weeks ago, when investigators noted no activity in Wheeler’s bank account and developed new leads.
Deputies obtained a search warrant for the Copeland Circle home Thursday morning, and “needless to say,” Sheriff Rowland said, “Mr. Wheeler was right there.”
The sheriff said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, which he hopes will help determine the time of death.
Despite the disturbing discovery, Sheriff Rowland stressed that the neighborhood is safe, though detectives are still “connecting the dots.”
“We had boots on the ground,” the sheriff said. “This was Mr. Wheeler’s home to our knowledge, and now it’s a crime scene.”
The daughter has a previous address listed in Pensacola, Fla., where she had worked as a supervisor for custodial and maintenance at Kids Community College, according to her LinkedIn page.
Edgefield County authorities currently list her as unemployed. She has at least one previous arrest, for criminal mischief in Pensacola from 2020.
Note: If you have a photo or memory of victim James Wheeler to share, please text it to 803-487-3224.
