PENDLETON, S.C. (TCN) — A husband and his two roommates face charges in connection with the strangling death of a woman who disappeared in August.
Jessica Barnes’ mother initially reported her daughter missing to the Pendleton Police Department on Sept. 10. According to a bulletin, she was last seen on or around Aug. 1. Police said, “Details surrounding the disappearance were vague,” and personnel from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) assisted in the investigation.
Investigators purportedly recovered human remains in the Twin Lakes area in Pickens County. Police said they interviewed the missing woman’s husband, Brandon Barnes, as well as her two roommates, Kendall Mims and Victoria Tippett, around the same time. On Oct. 1, a forensic odontologist informed authorities they positively identified the victim as Jessica Barnes.
According to a statement obtained by WYFF-TV, the Pickens County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy and determined Jessica Barnes died of asphyxiation by strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Police announced that Brandon Barnes faces a charge of murder, while Mims and Trippett face charges of accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and misprision of a felony.
Warrants reviewed by WFYY allege Brandon Barnes fatally strangled his wife, and Mims and Trippett helped him dispose of her body.
Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby reportedly said the victim and her husband were having issues in their marriage.