A third man has been charged in connection with the discovery of human remains found in a shallow grave in Windsor.
Cody Wooten, 37, of Windsor, was charged this week with destruction, desecration or removal of human remains. The other two charged with the same crime are Thomas Guinn, 30, and Donald Britton, 51, both of Windsor.
The remains were found Friday afternoon in a shallow grave near the 300 block of Wendy Lane in Windsor, located near Aiken State Park. The Aiken County Coroner’s Office has not positively identified the victim or confirmed a possible link to the case of missing man John Belote.
Belote, 40, was reported missing nearly three weeks ago by his daughter, and Britton is the father of the missing man’s ex-girlfriend, who Belote has violently attacked for years.
Belote told his daughter in their last conversation that he had gotten into an argument with Britton and planned to confront him, according to a missing person’s report.
Warrants say that Britton, Guinn and two other suspects removed the remains of an unidentified victim from an unmarked grave at 916 Windsor Road in Windsor on July 11.
“(They) moved the remains to another shallow unmarked grave at 379 Wendy Lane in Windsor,” a warrant says. “In the process, the remains were torn apart into two pieces and treated in a disrespectful manner.”
Belote has been arrested at least 15 times and is listed on the sex offender registry for committing or attempting a lewd act on a child when he was 20 years old. He has been arrested multiple times for violence against his ex-girlfriend, violating an order of protection and a high and aggravated assault.
Belote’s daughter has defended her father as a caring and loving man. She said she was told the body found in Windsor is likely her father and he was burned by the suspects.
