Coroner: Body found in Beech Island is missing Augusta man

UPDATE: According to Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton, the body found behind an abandoned trailer in Beech Island Wednesday morning is Julian Williams. Officials have identified the body by evidence found at the scene and positive identification is still pending the receipt of dental records.

An autopsy is scheduled in Newberry, SC for Thursday morning. An official cause of death has not been determined, but Carlton says it’s believed to be a homicide.

ORIGINAL STORY: Two Aiken County residents have been arrested in connection with the disappearance an Augusta man.

On March 25, Julian Williams attended a basketball game and loved ones say he had plans to go to Beech Island afterward. When family members could not get through to his phone, they reported him missing.

At around 10:15 a.m. on April 26, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested twenty-six-year-old Steven Ray Jackson and twenty-four-year-old Antonio Deaunte Simpkins, both residents of Beech Island, in connection with Williams’s disappearance.

Investigators believe Williams managed to get a ride to Beech Island at around 2:00 a.m. the night he went missing and was dropped off on Spider Web Road. With the help of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, SLED, and a canine search team, Aiken County investigators conducted several searches in the area around Spider Web Road, using leads and tips from the community as a guide. After the arrested of Jackson and Simpkins Wednesday morning, investigators located human remains behind and an abandoned trailer at 211 Spider Web Road. The Aiken County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene to assist with the investigation.

Simpkins and Jackson have been booked into the Aiken County Detention Center on Kidnapping charges. The investigation is still ongoing and more charges may be filed.

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