Missing woman's husband accused of killing her and asks roommates to help move body

Weeks after his wife's disappearance, a South Carolina man has been charged with killing her and recruiting her roommates to help repatriate her body.

Brandon Barnes, 21, was taken into custody on a murder charge in connection with the death of his wife, 20-year-old Jessica Barnes, the Pendleton Police Department said in a news release shared with HuffPost.

She was reported missing by her mother on Sept. 10 and her body was found on Sept. 20 miles from her home in a wooded area near Twin Lakes in Pickens County. The Pickens County Coroner's Office stated her cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation.

Roommates Kendall Mims and Victoria Tippett were charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice and felony murder.

In an interview with independent news outlet Fits News before police named him as a suspect, Brandon Barnes said he last saw his wife on August 1 but did not report her missing because he believed she would return.

“I would tell her how much I love her and I wish I had never gone to work every day and ignored her,” Barnes told the outlet when asked what message he would like to give her.

At a news conference Wednesday, Pendleton Police Chief Robert Crosby said Jessica Barnes was last seen by her roommates at her apartment on Aug. 2. He said her mother, Cecilia Varvara, reported her missing after becoming concerned that her daughter had not called her on her birthday, August 26.

Varvara told reporters that before her disappearance, she received text messages from her daughter's phone that she believed were sent by Brandon Barnes.

The news said Jessica Barnes had moved to Michigan with her friends, Varvara said.

In a statement, her family said she was a victim of domestic violence and hoped her story would encourage other victims to seek help.

“It is with heavy hearts that we humbly return Jessica into the hands of Jesus, where we know she is now safe from her tormentor,” the statement said. “Her spirit is renewed and she is surrounded by the love she so longed for while with us on this earth.”

Do you need help? In the US, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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