WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Midlands mom still no closer to finding daughter's killer

Midlands mom still no closer to finding daughter's killer

By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield - bio | email

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Three years after her daughter's body was found in a field, a Midlands mom is still no closer to knowing who killed her child.

Tamarra Range went missing in September 2005, but her mother, Ernestine Surls, couldn't have a memorial until January 2006 when the autopsy finally came back.

"Nothing was there, it hurt me so badly,” said Surls. “I had to cremate her because there was nothing there."

Deer hunters found Tamarra's bones off Interstate 77 in Fairfield County.  It was months after she went missing from Studio 54. Range was an exotic dancer.

"Did I know she was doing this? Yeah. And I didn't put up with it,” said Surls. “I didn't like that, I didn't bring her up that way."

Range was a writer; she journaled and wrote poetry.  Dancing was a recent thing and not how Surls wants her daughter to be remembered. She has enough harsh memories as it is.

Fairfield deputies aren't sure if she died in Columbia or in their county and they do not have one single lead. The one hope they have in solving this is at the club where she was last seen. They want to hear from anyone who knew anyone who was there when she went missing. So does Tamarra's mom.

"They are out there, still out there probably doing something to somebody else,” said Surls.

Surls says just this week she looked at her daughter’s picture and spoke to it as if she was alive and said, "If you know who killed you, tell me."  Days later she found out her daughter’s story would be featured on Crimestoppers. 

So if you have a tip, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or text the word TIPSC and your message to CRIMES (274637).

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