Deputies: Hunters find remains of missing 87-year-old in Pineville

PINEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after hunters found the remains of a 87-year-old man who had been missing since February.

Deputies were called out to a wooded area just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday near Sandlapper Lane. That is in the Pineville area.

At the scene, they confirmed the remains and notified the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office. Coroner Darnell Hartwell responded and identified the man as Jessie Jones, from Pineville.

Jones went missing on Feb. 9. That night, deputies responded to Sandlapper Lane and met with someone who said his vehicle got stuck, and while he was trying to get help, Jones walked off.

At the time, the sheriff’s office said they were using ATVs, bloodhounds, grid searches, drones and a helicopter from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in the search.

Investigators say the area Jones was found in was recently under several feet of water. A controlled burn was recently completed in that wooded area, which allowed the terrain to change. The area was partially cleared out by that controlled burn, according to the sheriff’s office.

An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause and manner of Jones’ death.

The coroner’s office and the sheriff’s office say the investigation is ongoing.

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