A day after a South Carolina teen went missing, her body was found in a burned car. Now, two people have been arrested.
After 18-year-old MyAngel Walker did not show up to work on Thursday, Dec. 12, her loved ones knew something was off, according to FOX Carolina.
Walker’s family reported her missing to the Laurens Police Department and, as she was last seen in Clinton, South Carolina, the Clinton Police Department also joined the investigation, the outlet reported.
“It became apparent during the night that we were looking for something a little more than just somebody missing,” Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland told FOX Carolina.
MyAngel Walker.
MyAngel Walker/Facebook
The next day, Walker’s body was discovered in a burned vehicle near McKenzie Road in Greenwood County, according to TV station WOIO. Footage shared by South Carolina outlet WYFF shows the charred car being towed out of a wooded area near a road.
Walker had suffered a gunshot wound, FOX Carolina reported. No other details about the location of the wound or her cause of death have been publicized.
The person who wounded Walker, according to Clinton Police, is 19-year-old Malachi Pressley, whom Walker’s mother, Sade Woodruff, identified as her daughter’s on-and-off boyfriend.
Police say Pressley shot Walker on Gary Street in Clinton between 10 and 11 p.m. local time on Dec. 11, according to FOX Carolina. He has since been arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Taylor Kinard’s mugshot. PHOTO:
Laurens County Sheriff’s OfficeMalachi Pressley’s mugshot. PHOTO:
Laurens County Sheriff’s Office
Also arrested in connection with Walker’s death was 19-year-old Taylor Kinard, who police say helped dispose of Walker’s body, per FOX Carolina. Charged with accessory after the fact, Kinard “had knowledge of it and she helped,” Clinton Police Chief Michael Addison said.
Both Pressley and Kinard were denied bail during a hearing on Saturday, Dec. 14, the outlet reported.
Walker, a recent high school graduate, planned to become a nurse, her family told FOX Carolina.
“Everything I’ve heard of MyAngel has been, she was a very bright young lady with a very good heart,” Chief Copeland said, per the outlet.
“This is a tragedy that should not happen,” he added. “But we’re glad that we were able to get justice for that family really quickly here.”
MyAngel Walker.
MyAngel Walker/Facebook
For Walker’s mom, however, the arrests don’t offer her any solace. “We lost a big part of our family,” Woodruff told WYFF. “We lost a great person. We lost an amazing person, a leader.”
She also offered a message for those who hear her daughter’s story: “Be aware of who you’re dealing with, the people you’re surrounded by, the people you hang out with.”
“If there’s anything wrong, any type of domestics going on,” Woodruff added, “then we ask that you seek help.”
