Arrests made in connection to skeletal remains found in Georgetown Co.

GEOGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office says two people have been arrested in connection to a double homicide.

Patricia Wise, 51, of Dunbar, and Wilbur Lang, 55, of Choppee, are charged with two counts of accessory to murder after the fact, obstruction of justice, and criminal conspiracy. Lang is additionally charged with two counts of desecration of human remains.

The skeletal remains of two people were found by a group of hunters in a shallow grave in a wooded area off Whitmire Road in the Choppee community on Feb. 18.

Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway identified the victims as Melvin Wise, 57, and Andrene Stewart, 41, both of New York. The coroner’s office says Wise was a former resident of Georgetown County.

Through autopsies, it was determined that both victims died from gunshot wounds, and the manner of death is homicide, Ridgeway said.

Wise and Lang are currently being held at the Georgetown County Detention Center, where they await a bond hearing.

The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests and charges are expected.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office at 843-546-5102.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.