ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County investigators are continuing their search for a missing 5-year-old after the child’s mother was found dead at a home on Thanksgiving – all as family members plead for answers.
“Don't know where she's at, neither,” Pauley Jumper said. “Don't know.”
Thanksgiving and the days that followed have been a nightmare for Jumper and the rest of his family as they continue to search for his niece, Aspen Jeter.
The 5-year-old was first reported missing Thursday. Jumper said his family is just hoping someone has information about Aspen.
“I'm just hoping for the public to just get Aspen back home,” he said. “We want her back safe.”
According to the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to the 200 block of Louise Drive for a welfare check because the mother hadn’t been seen in weeks.
The department said that, when they entered the home, they found a deceased woman believed to be Aspen's mother. The identity of the woman and the cause of death has not been publicly released by the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office.
Antwain Pough lives just a few doors down from the home where the mother was found and saw the commotion on Thanksgiving night.
“My wife was like, ‘There's a door open,' and soon as she said that we saw some deputies run through, then we saw about four, five more roll through,” Pough said. “It's kinda unusual to see that many come through on this street.”
He said that this is normally a silent neighborhood with most families keeping to themselves. Now, with a dead mother and a missing child, Pough said he worries for his family's safety.
“Being that I have a young daughter, she's 16, stays in this neighborhood, anybody or anything could be roaming around in the neighborhood,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jumper encouraged everyone to pray and keep an eye out for Aspen and contact the sheriff's department if they know anything
Those with information can also report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-CRIME-SC.