Family Claims Missing Barber Was Tricked by Woman Promising Business Opportunity Before Tragic Discovery

In a grim turn of events, a 41-year-old woman from South Carolina has been apprehended in connection with the tragic demise of a 32-year-old Massachusetts man. The man, who had been missing for almost a month, was found last week, his body decaying inside a trash can placed on the curb.

The suspect, Jaida Monique Braddy, was arrested in late January and now faces charges of accessory after the fact to a felony or murder for her alleged role in the death of David Hutchinson.

Hutchinson’s disappearance was first reported by his family on January 12, according to a report from Florence, South Carolina’s CBS affiliate, WBTW. His family recounted that he embarked on a bus journey to Marion, South Carolina, in December 2025, with plans to return home in early January. However, they lost contact with him after December 29, 2025.

The vanished man’s body was eventually uncovered on January 29, stuffed inside a trash can that had been moved in front of an abandoned residence on Pearl Street, Marion.

Though the specific details surrounding Hutchinson’s death remain undisclosed, authorities have confirmed that the case is being treated as a homicide. An autopsy is slated for this week, which is expected to clarify the cause and manner of his death.

Marion Police Chief Tony Flowers said evidence currently indicates that Hutchinson was shot in the area earlier in January.

“January 12th, we received a tip of a possible homicide that occurred over in this area, a residence,” Flowers told Myrtle Beach NBC affiliate WMBF. “We’ve had no reports of any gunshot fires or anything out of the ordinary in this area during that time frame. Our investigators did a report and started kind of following up on it. We were really getting nothing on it, and they started digging a little more, and we started getting leads on the person who is now deceased, Mr. David Hutchinson.”

The chief said a second tip came in that ultimately led to authorities locating Hutchinson’s body.

At this point, Braddy is accused of moving the trash can in front of the abandoned home where it was later discovered, the Telegram & Gazette reported. It was not immediately clear if she was also suspected of being involved in his death.

While authorities have been tight-lipped about the details in the case, Hutchinson’s family provided additional details about what may have happened in his final days on a GoFundMe page created by his older sister.

The page states that Hutchinson, a barber by trade, was “lured” to South Carolina with the “promise of making money” by a woman “who claimed to be an entrepreneur.” However, when he arrived, he “quickly figured out it was all a set up,” she wrote.

“After being taken for his money, he was dropped off at trap house where his phone was also stolen,” the GoFundMe page says. “In the time leading up to his disappearance there was an altercation with his barbering equipment being stolen as well. When Dave confronted the individual(s) he thought took his belongings, he was met with violence and a gun was pulled. Later that same day he vanished without a trace. His belongings remained where he left them but there was no sign of [Hutchinson].”

Hutchinson’s brother told WBTW that his brother’s life should be about more than simply the way he died.

“[He was] naive and too trusting, but a good kid who made bad decisions at times, and this time he sadly had to pay the ultimate price for it,” Hutchinson’s brother told the station. “The news headlines all flashing ‘man found in trash decomposing’ are extremely upsetting for us. I know it’s captivating, but he was a lot more than that.”

Braddy currently remains in the Marion County Detention Center on a $15,000 bond.