Overview
- Sheriff Marty Sawyer announced Saturday that investigators now believe 4-year-old Javeayah Harris is deceased and the probe has been reclassified as a homicide investigation.
- Authorities arrested Javeayah’s parents, 23-year-old Johmarea Harris and 22-year-old Michilae Herring, and charged both with homicide by child abuse while Herring also faces a false-report charge.
- Investigators told reporters that evidence suggests Javeayah had been dead for at least a month before the June 30 911 call that reported her missing.
- Visible search activities and roadblocks have been reduced, but a multi-agency investigation with SLED, the FBI, and local partners continues as teams search an area of interest outside Aiken County and gather forensic evidence.
- Officials asked the public to submit tips and video through the sheriff’s office portal, requested privacy for extended family, and warned additional charges could follow as the probe develops.