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A South Carolina man has been charged with murdering his still-missing ex-girlfriend, who called cops in early December to report that he’d broken into her home and was chasing her down the road.
Daniel Harmon, of Beech Island, was charged on Saturday with murdering Jamilla Smith, according to Aiken County Detention Center records reviewed by Oxygen. He had previously been arrested on charges of second-degree domestic violence, and kidnapping, on December 5.
On December 4, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office put out a public call for help in tracking down Smith, 30, and Harmon, 34.
When did Jamilla Smith go missing?
Family members reported last hearing from Smith, and her ex Harmon, on December 2 at around 7 p.m., according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said at the time that their families believed that they were driving a black Dodge Charger.
“Both have a history of domestic violence incidents,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Information conveyed to investigators revealed that Daniel has some mental health issues and made some threats of self-harm.”
The sheriff’s office stated in an update posted to its Facebook page on December 5 that Harmon was in custody on a domestic violence charge. “The vehicle associated with this case was recovered this morning when Harmon was taken into custody,” the update stated.
Authorities now believe that Harmon was murdered by Smith, and they allegedly found blood in his rental vehicle, according to The Augusta Press. The publication reported that Harmon’s rented Dodge Charger was seized when they found him in North Augusta, and that a search of the car revealed suspected blood in the part of the trunk that holds a spare tire. Samples of the substance found in the vehicle, and samples known to belong to Smith, have been sent to a lab.
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What did Jamilla Smith say when she called 911?
Investigators believe that Harmon killed Smith on the night of December 2 in the Jackson area, the same night she dialed 911 to report he broke into her house and chased her down the road, The Augusta Press reported, adding she sounded out of breath on the call.
“When the dispatcher asks her where she will meet the deputy, a car engine can be heard revving before Jamilla is heard screaming and the phone appears to drop,” investigators stated in a murder affidavit obtained by the publication. “A male voice is heard telling Jamilla to get into the car and he will take her to the emergency room. Jamilla continues to scream and can be heard yelling, ‘no, don’t touch me, don’t hurt me please,’ and ‘you hit me.’”
What happened to Jamilla Smith?
Authorities suspect that Harmon hit Smith with a car and didn’t take her to a hospital. The affidavit continues, “The male is heard saying ‘you jumped in front of the car’ before Jamilla says ‘no I didn’t.’ Jamilla says ‘leave me alone,’ ‘it hurts’ and ‘I can’t.’ Jamilla continues to scream ‘no, I can’t my arm,’ and ‘you ran over me.’ A horn can be heard and a dog barking.”
Adding to authorities’ suspicions that Harmon killed Smith is the fact that family members haven’t heard from her in weeks.
“This is not consistent with Jamilla Smith’s known behavior,” the affidavit states, according to The Augusta Press. “Tina McCraw, Jamilla Smith’s mother, speaks with her daughter several times a day. Jamilla Smith has not reached out to either of her two children, her father Jame Smith, nor any of her siblings. Jamilla Smith has had no cell phone activity since December 2.”
