The remains of a 56-year-old amputee who went missing more than two weeks ago has been recovered – stuffed in barrel found floating in a South Carolina lake.
Law enforcement in rural Cherokee County made the disturbing discovery around 1:45pm ET Thursday, after being summoned to 100-acre Lake Thicketty in small-town Gaffney.
Deputies reportedly arrived to the scene to find the 42-gallon vat floating near the shore – and upon opening it discovered the body of Jeffrey Sutphin.
Upon analyzing the corpse, a coroner confirmed it had been locked away for ‘a number’ of days.
After identifying the body, officials said they interviewed a person of interest – during which they learned Cherokee resident Sutphin, who was missing his right leg and used a prosthetic, was likely killed somewhere in neighboring Spartanburg County.
Sutphin was reportedly last seen on June 15 in Chesnee, which is set in both counties.
Police have since made a single arrest following the grim find – charging Eric Shawn Fetzer, 25, with destruction, desecration or removal of human remains.
‘Deputies found the barrel near the shore and upon opening it found human remains,’ Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler wrote in a news release Friday, as investigating deputies said they anticipate additional arrests in the coming days.
‘It appears the body had been in the container for a number of days.’
She added: ‘Since the discovery, investigators were able to confirm late Thursday that the death occurred in Spartanburg County.
‘This morning I transferred the remains to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger who will assume the death investigation as is protocol.
‘My office role will only be a recovery to assist another agency.’
In an earlier update, police in Cherokee County said they received a call to the scene at 1:45pm ET, after which they found the missing man’s remains after pulling the partially submerged barrel ashore and prying it open.
As for Sutphin, not much is known about the deceased – aside for the fact a massive search had been in effect since he was reported missing on June 15, when he was seen leaving a business on Rutherfordton Highway on June 4 at around 8 pm ET.
Officials have not released any other details surrounding his disappearance nor the ongoing investigation, or whether his death is being treated as a homicide.
The car Sutphin had been driving when he was last seen – a gold 2006 Jeep Liberty – has yet to be recovered. Officers’ investigation, as of Sunday, is still ongoing.
