Overview
- Sheriff Marty Sawyer confirmed Saturday that investigators now believe 4-year-old Javeayah Harris is deceased based on evidence gathered during the probe.
- Both parents were arrested and charged after the announcement, with father Johmarea Harris charged with homicide by child abuse and mother Michilae Herring charged with homicide by child abuse and filing a false police report.
- Investigators say evidence suggests Javeayah had been dead for at least a month before the June 30 911 call, a finding that shaped the shift from search operations to a homicide investigation.
- Organized visible search activities and roadblocks are being scaled back but law enforcement agencies continue active work to locate the child’s remains, including searches at an area of interest outside Aiken County.
- Authorities ask the public to submit tips and video through the sheriff’s online evidence portal and to avoid uncoordinated volunteer searches that could interfere with the investigation.