Bond denied for S.C. man accused of woman’s murder, child’s disappearance

SUMTER, S.C. (WIS) - The man accused of killing a Sumter mother and her 5-year-old daughter was denied bond by a judge during a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Daunte Johnson, 28, has been charged with one count of murder in death of Sharee Bradley, 29, after investigators found her body in her apartment Monday night.

Bradley’s daughter, 5-year-old Nevaeh Adams, was not at the apartment when investigators arrived.

• ‘We keep hope that perhaps she’s still alive’: Search for missing 5-year-old S.C. girl enters third day
• Father of missing 5-year-old Sumter girl speaks for first time since her disappearance

After determining the girl was not with her biological father, investigators began questioning Johnson, who was taken into custody after he was seen fleeing the scene shortly after police arrived.

According to police, Johnson confessed to killing Bradley and her daughter and told police he dumped the five-year-old’s body in a city dumpster. By the time police arrived, the dumpster had been emptied by a truck and hauled to the landfill.

At a press conference Tuesday night, Sumter Police said investigators were sifting through 230 tons of trash, based on their knowledge of what trucks may have emptied the dumpster containing the child’s body. They were assisted by cadaver dogs, police said.

As of 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Adams’ body has not been found.

On Wednesday, Sumter Police said they completed their search of all the trash they could track from the dumpster in question. They are not at the landfill on Wednesday, but said they could return during the course of the investigation.

Police are searching other parts of Sumter, including empty apartments near the murder scene and abandoned buildings.

Additional charges are expected to be filed against Johnson as the investigation continues.

Copyright 2019 WIS. All rights reserved.