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Missing South Carolina Girl's Remains May Never Be Fully Recovered: 'Simply Not Possible'
Investigators say the child’s parents used corrosive chemicals to destroy evidence before dumping her remains into Cedar Creek Reservoir, and both are jailed.
On Thursday, July 9, Aiken County Sheriff Marty Sawyer announced that partial remains of 4-year-old Javeayah Harris were recovered from the Cedar Creek Reservoir in Fairfield County.
Authorities determined Javeayah had been dead for about one month before her parents, Michilae Herring and Johmarea Harris, filed a false police report on June 30 claiming she went missing.
Investigators allege the parents used "corrosive chemicals and other tools" to destroy evidence after the child died; Sheriff Sawyer stated it is "unlikely that the entirety of Javeayah's body" will be recovered.
Both parents face charges of homicide by child abuse and desecration of human remains, with potential sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison according to the Aiken County detention center.
Hundreds gathered Thursday at an event center for a candlelight vigil to honor Javeayah, as the Aiken community continues to mourn the 4-year-old and support her surviving family members.