Remains of Jamilla Smith found in Aiken County woods

Jamilla Smih

Date: May 10, 2024

The remains of missing woman Jamilla Smith have been found in a wooded area off Silver Bluff Road, according to Aiken County authorities.

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.

Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables joined the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the SLED in efforts to recover the victim’s remains.

After family notifications were made, Ables identified the remains as Jamilla and has order an autopsy.

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.

Last week, Aiken County authorities arrested Clyde Hendley II, 46, of Bath. He is accused of aiding Harmon in disposing of evidence related to Smith’s death.

Clyde Hendley II

Hendley was apprehended last Thursday 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.

Daniel Harmon, left, and Bryan Alexander Hampton Jr., right.

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.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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