An autopsy on Jamilla Smith’s remains has determined her cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said Tuesday.
The autopsy results comes after Smith’s remains were found Thursday in a wooded area off Silver Bluff Road, according to Aiken County authorities.
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The investigation led to a wooded area in the 2100 block of Silver Bluff Road where the search of the area Thursday afternoon resulted in human remains being found, a press release says.
The coroner joined the Aiken Department of Public Safety and SLED in efforts to recover the victim’s remains.
This investigation began in December after Jamilla was reported missing. Daniel Gabriel Harmon, Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr, and Clyde Hendley II were arrested as a result of this investigation.
Aiken County authorities recently arrested Clyde Hendley II, 46, of Bath. He is accused of aiding Harmon in disposing of evidence related to Smith’s death.
Hendley was apprehended after investigators executed a search warrant at his residence on Front Street. He faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder.
Hendley was the third suspect linked to the case, following the arrest of Daniel Gabriel Harmon, 34, who was charged with murder on Dec. 23, 2023, and Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr, 35, who turned himself in on April 19, facing a similar charge of accessory after the fact to murder.
The investigation has been ongoing since Smith’s disappearance. Smith’s distressing last moments were captured in a chilling 911 call, where she reported being chased in Jackson by her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Harmon.
Tragically, the call ended abruptly with sounds of struggle and Smith’s screams, indicating the severity of the situation.
Prior to her disappearance, Smith had filed a domestic violence report against Harmon, providing photographic evidence of her injuries. Despite this, the warrant for domestic violence was never served, raising questions about potential opportunities to intervene before the tragic outcome.
