Susan Rhodes, the North Augusta woman at the center of a bizarre two-month-long disappearance saga, was arrested Monday and remains in custody on multiple criminal charges tied to the June 11 crash that triggered a regional search effort and widespread speculation.
Rhodes, 65, was taken into custody in Edgefield County and charged with hit and run involving an attended vehicle, reckless driving, and open container. She is being held at the Edgefield County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond, which was set Tuesday afternoon.
The arrest follows her sudden reappearance last week, nearly eight weeks after she vanished into the woods following a crash on Gregory Lake Road in Edgefield County. Rhodes claimed she had been swept away by a fast-moving creek, lost her pants and shoes, and survived on bread and water provided by a mysterious elderly couple before being dropped off by a man in a black truck.
Authorities say none of it is true.
Investigators with the North Augusta Department of Public Safety say Rhodes concocted the story to avoid prosecution for the wreck, which left another vehicle damaged. A Bud Light can was found inside her car, and witnesses said she appeared disoriented at the scene before walking into the woods.
Law enforcement officers from multiple counties, along with SLED agents, launched a massive search effort in the hours after the crash. Rhodes was officially listed as a missing person, and her family told media she might have suffered a stroke or medical emergency.
But doubts grew over time, and when she was finally found last Tuesday sitting inside a stranger’s home on Big Oak Drive in Edgefield County, authorities quickly realized her story didn’t add up.
According to a police report, the homeowner had returned from a doctor’s appointment to find Rhodes inside. Deputies were called to the scene, entered with permission, and found Rhodes hiding in the bathroom. She reportedly appeared confused and offered a surreal account of her disappearance that included dramatic rescues, creek survival, and vague strangers.
She was taken to a hospital for evaluation, but officers soon determined there was no evidence to support her version of events.
North Augusta police obtained an arrest warrant on Aug. 6, and additional charges were added after further review of the initial incident. Despite online rumors from family members last week that she was on life support, Rhodes was booked into jail on Monday without incident.
